Once in a While
by Blonde-Titch
Summary: James wants Lily, and he is prepared to do anything to get her. But what if, as Moony points out, “Maybe… just maybe... you have to behave yourself for more than half a day.” JamesLily
1. James’ decision

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the Harry Potter books or movies. That's all J.K Rowling's and Warner Brothers'

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Once in a While

Chapter One- James' decision

It was early December and the village of Hogsmeade was bustling with Hogwarts students and the Three Broomsticks was a riot of activity. All tables were taken up with groups of teenagers, laughing and joking. Younger students scuttled, heads down, past the older students, who ignored them and carried on their previous activities. Occasionally a large bang or a flash of smoke would stun everyone into silence, before the babble of noise took over once again.

A boy in his late-teens sidled up to the bar, ruffling his hair and conjuring up a lopsided grin. Sitting down on one of the worn stools, he turned to the red-haired witch on his right. "Alright Evans?"

"I was." The girl twisted so her back was to him. This didn't deter the boy, on the contrary, he just kept going. "Shall I buy you a drink?"

She didn't answer, so the boy flagged down the barmaid and ordered two butterbeers. Within moments two steaming tankards were in front of him and the boy lifted one, taking care not to spill it. He stretched round the redheads shoulder to brandish it in front of her nose. "Come on Evans!" He cooed. The girls green eyes narrowed and she stood up abruptly, causing him to yell and spill the drink down his front. He glared at the girl, who had smiled smugly and was now striding out of the bar, her dark red hair bouncing on her shoulders.

Irritably, the boy made his way towards the table in the corner, where three boys of his own age were applauding his latest 'performance'. The tallest stood and clapped the boy from the bar on the back. "Better luck next time Prongs."

James Potter muttered darkly and slid onto a bench, pulling a wand from his back pocket and waving it at his robes, causing the butterbeer to vanish instantly. He threw his wand on the table and slid down on the bench, until only a creased forehead and a mop of messy black hair was visible. "I hate you all."

This only caused more loud laughter from the tall boy and several heads to turn in their direction, only to smile slightly and turn back to whatever they were doing. Sirius Black or 'Padfoot', had always been loud, almost to the point of being obnoxious. It was lucky he was good looking, or he may have been in deep trouble. As it was, he was one of the most respected and admired students in the school, tied only with the others sitting with him.

"Shut up Sirius. People are staring. Do you want to get kicked out again? Because if you do, we're not coming with you. I'm not going to the Hogs Head again." The brown haired boy had spoken over the top of his butterbeer, which he was warming his hands with. This was Remus Lupin, known to his friends a 'Moony' due to a slight 'problem' he had with full moons. The voice of reason in the group, he was probably the only reason the other two had made it to seventh year without getting expelled. Or locked up.

Sirius laughed again, a short bark-like sound which made him sound curiously like a dog. "I like the Hogs Head."

James spoke from beneath the table. "Only because they don't care about you being underage."

The final member of the group gave a squeak of laughter, and then stopped short when he realised James wasn't joking. Peter Pettigrew was the smallest out of the four teenagers, and, truth be told, the least attractive. He had dirty blonde hair, small eyes and a slightly round face. However, the fact that his friends were the great 'marauders', as they called themselves, meant that he wasn't unpopular round the school, and still looked up to by the general student body.

The four sat happily in the corner of the Three Broomsticks, laughing and joking loudly, as they had been all evening. Soon, Sirius was sent to get the next batch of butterbeers and James made an announcement to the other two. "This year will be the year. The year that Evans finally realises that she and I are meant to be!"

There was a moments silence before Remus commented that James had obviously been overdoing on the butterbeer.

"No!" James objected, "I'm serious!"

Sirius, who had just appeared at the table, opened his mouth to comment. But James cut him off.

"Padfoot. If you even think about making that joke, I will drown you in your own butterbeer." He turned back to Remus and Peter, "Anyway, Evans doesn't like me because," he looked grandly around the table, as if he was about to reveal a huge secret, and the other three leaned in, "she thinks I'm too big-headed."

Another thundering silence, which Remus again broke. "Please don't tell me you only just worked that out."

"And that is why," James carried on as if Remus hadn't spoken, "I have decided to stop randomly hexing and pranking people. Even Snivellus. Hey!"

Sirius had just spat out a mouthful of butterbeer onto James' recently-dried lap, "What!" He gasped.

James shrugged, and Sirius stared at him, gob smacked. His mouth was actually hanging open. Remus also looked shocked, and Peter had a hand over his mouth. He lowered it to whisper. "You're going to stop pranking people?"

"Woah!" James held up a hand, "I never said that! I said I'd stop randomly pranking people. If they deserve it then, well, that's not random." He lifted the butterbeer to his lips, a familiar smirk playing round his lips. Sirius was still looking shocked, but less so than before, and had recovered enough to wipe up the butterbeer he'd spat across the table with Remus' scarf.

It was a few hours later when the marauders decided to finally leave. The pub was emptying and the usually placid Madame Rosmerta was giving them evil looks, obviously wanting them to leave her to pack up. They grabbed their cloaks and scarves and, laughing at Remus who had just realised his scarf had been soaked in butterbeer, exited the pub to the cold street outside. Christmas lights blinked at them from inside windows and their breath formed clouds in front of their faces. The four boys made their way towards Hogwarts, calling out greetings to the few lingering students and talking loudly amongst themselves. It wasn't long until they were passing the lake. Its surface was already beginning to freeze, a light layer of ice clouding the water and slowly creeping towards its centre.

The bright lights of the torches greeted them as they stepped into Hogwarts castle, and Sirius absent-mindedly froze a few, the flames turning into icy swirls as he waved his wand lazily. They were all tired now and there wasn't much talking, except from the occasional swear as someone stubbed their toe or got in the way of one of Sirius' freezing charms.

* * *

Remus and Peter were already in bed as James left the bathroom and began to get changed. The air was heavy with the kind of sleepy silence that only grows during dark winter nights. 

"How can you not prank anyone?" Sirius yawned as the pulled on his pyjama top.

"I dunno." James replied, "I'll find a way."

"You'll never do it."

James chuckled quietly and threw a shoe at Sirius. "We'll have to wait and see won't we?"

Sirius dodged the shoe and snorted with laughter as it hit Remus in the side. He groaned, groped for the shoe and threw it back in the general direction of Sirius, though it fell short and landed on Peter, who ignored it and carried on snoring.

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**A/N: **Hi Guys! Thanks for reading! I've posted this story once before but it had to be taken down - and now it's back! Yay! Anyway, I hope you liked it and please, don't forget to review! 


	2. Potions lessons

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the Harry Potter books or movies. That's all J.K Rowling's and Warner Brothers'

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Once in a While

Chapter Two- Potions lessons

Something tickled James' nose and groaned, shaking his head slightly and twitching. He'd been having a great dream where he'd been flying in the World cup and Lily was watching him from on top of a goalpost…

There it was again! A soft, tickling sensation on his right temple. Like a fly had landed there, he screwed his eyes up, trying to jerk the bloody thing off. When that didn't work he turned his head to the other side, but the itch just transferred itself to his other temple. _I told Remus to close the window_, he thought sourly, _now we're being invaded by flies. I'll probably get that disease. That one muggle's get from insect bites. _He sighed and lifted his hand to splat the fly, but as soon as it made contact with his face he yelled and sat up straight, looking down at his palm, which was covered in some sort of foam.

He glared upwards just in time to see Sirius skipping away, clutching Remus' quill and roaring with laughter. James jumped up. "Black! You stupid arse! What the hell was that for?"

But Sirius had already skipped merrily down the stairs, still laughing hard. James scowled and got out of bed, leaving the scarlet covers unmade, and gingerly approaching the mirror in the corner. His own sleepy face stared angrily back at him, half covered in the pale foam. He groaned and made for the bathroom, muttering darkly to himself and holding his hand out awkwardly. What _was_ that stuff?

As he reached the door Remus opened it, dressed in just his trousers with a towel thrown round his neck. He stared at James for a moment before bursting into laughter. "Piss off," muttered James, stalking into the bathroom with as much dignity as he could muster covered in mysterious foam. Even when he had locked the door he could hear Remus' laughter carrying through to him.

Half an hour later he arrived at the great hall, Remus by his side. They slid into the places opposite Peter and Sirius, who was smirking into his beans on toast. James looked stonily at him before reaching for the pumpkin juice. "I hope its still funny when you see what's happened to your towel."

Sirius stopped short and stared, half suspicious, half horrified at James, who just smiled to himself and shovelled a forkful of omelette into his mouth. The Gryffindor table was emptying at this point, with the wood littered with bits of food, old envelopes and the usual remains of a Hogwarts breakfast. As the four boys sat, bits of food started vanishing, until the only piece left was the third portion of beans that Sirius was shovelling down.

"I'm not sitting next to him today," Remus stated, "he stinks enough on a normal day, I don't want to think about what he's like when he's got three tons of beans inside him."

Sirius gave Remus a mushy orange grin before forcing the last few beans down his throat. They rose and made their way out of the hall, which was deserted apart from a few stragglers rushing to complete late pieces of homework.

As they wound their way through the numerous corridors of Hogwarts castle, the topic of conversation moved onto James' 'no prank' pact.

"You've already broken it. Do you remember my towel? It's probably some sort of small animal by now."

"No its not. It's an insect."

"Really? What kind?"

"A large kind."

"Oo-er…"

Remus stopped this slightly strange conversation, "Guys. Stick to the topic."

Sirius smiled, "Right. Well, what I was saying was, do you have to start straight away? I mean, it's the holidays tomorrow, and Evans isn't even staying. So what's the point? She won't even be here to notice."

"You weren't saying that," Remus pointed out. Sirius just shrugged and waved a hand, catching a passing second year on the back of the head. Remus rolled his eyes and continued. "And anyway, he might want to get in the habit of not pranking people so he doesn't go into withdrawal when term starts."

James sighed sadly and watched a group of third year slytherins pass, "I think I already am. Can you imagine what they'd look like with Sirius' towel chasing them?"

"You're obsessed with my towel!"

Remus laughed with the others before elbowing James in the side, "How can you be in withdrawal already? It's just turned 9 O Clock!"

James shrugged and looked frightened as Sirius gave him his 'dashing' grin. He turned and saw the group of fifth year girls behind him turn pink and start giggling. _Thank god, _he thought bitterly, _if Sirius started hitting on me I'd probably prank myself. _He could still hear them when he reached the end of the corridor. _They're going to explode if they keep that up for long enough. _

"James!" A hand came into his line of vision and he walked straight into it, "Are you talking to yourself again?"

"It must be stress." Sirius said knowledgably, "Remember during the OWLs? He was doing it all the time then."

"How can he be stressed? It's 9 O Clock in the morning!"

"Moony, we know you can tell the time. Well done! But can you stop quoting it to us now?"

"Remember last time he started talking to himself," Peter laughed, "he walked straight off that moving staircase?"

"He was in the hospital wing for a week!"

James stared irritably at his three best friends. _Do they even remember I'm here?_ _Great. That's all I need. Prank withdrawal and permanent invisibility. _James peered round Remus who was laughing with the other two and reminiscing about accidents in James' past. "Do you guys know I can still hear you?"

The friendly teasing carried on until the seventh years were sitting in their NEWT potions class. The four where the last in, but their traditional seats at the back had been left empty. The students remembered too well the last time someone had taken the Marauders' seats. It hadn't ended well.

James sat slumped in his chair, doodling on the desk and only half listening to Slughorn droning on about some sort of potion. The rest of his attention was fixed on the witch in the middle of the classroom. Lily Evans sat with her chin resting on her hand and her head bent slightly to one side. Her red hair, partly pinned back, spilled gently onto the desk and reflected the flickering flame under Slughorns' cauldron. James guessed that if her could see her face, she would be biting her bottom lip and crinkling her nose thoughtfully.

A sharp poke brought his attention to Sirius, who was looking at him like he was mental. "Go on then."

"Huh?"

"Go get the ingredients! I went last time!"

James sighed; only Sirius would make such a big deal about collecting potions ingredients. But then Sirius was just lazy. He made his way to the front of the classroom and, scanning the board, grabbed the needed ingredients and balanced them on a tin tray. He began to make his way back to his desk, but then noticed Lily, who was looking annoyed and gesturing at her partner, a dark-haired Ravenclaw. It seemed that neither of them wanted to get the ingredients.

"But I always go!" Lily was saying as James approached the desk, "I just don't think it's fair. Just because.."

"Here you are ladies." James set the tray on the desk, cutting Lily off mid-sentence. He was met with one simpering smile and one look of complete fury.

"I can get my own ingredients." Lily crossed her arms and glared up at him. James saw the Ravenclaw kick Lily under the table, making no difference except to earn herself an equally angry stare.

"Well, now you don't have to." James smiled at the two girls and, ignoring Lily's surprise, made his way back to the front. He loaded up a fresh tray and made his way back to a very bored Sirius, who was flicking bits of parchment at an annoyed Ravenclaw prefect. As he passed Lily's table he couldn't help but notice her slightly suspicious look, which he ignored. When he started on his own potion however, he glanced up to see Lily looking curiously over her shoulder at him. He smiled and she turned round quickly, but not before James saw her cheeks flush slightly pink.

Smiling to himself, James turned to the tray in front of him. Mysterious ingredients sat there, daring him to add them to the boiling water Sirius was preparing.

"So what are we making here?"

Sirius looked up, scanning the tray and chewing on the liquorish wand he'd pulled out of nowhere. "I dunno. Some sort of potion?"

James rolled his eyes and opened his copy of 'Advanced Potion Making'. He and Sirius had never been great potion brewers, and only managed to pass as well as they did by a lot of last-minute studying. Making sure no 'one saw them of course, it wouldn't do to have either of them spotted working - they had people relying on them. After a few seconds of staring at a random page in his textbook, James looked back up at his best friend, "Reckon we should just chuck it in?"

Sirius nodded, and began to stir as James emptied to contents of the tray into the cauldron. Not the best idea when making potions, but you never know…

BANG

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**A/N**: Lol!I wonder how that appeared to Lily? Don't forget to review! 


	3. So near, yet so far

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the Harry Potter books or movies. That's all J.K Rowling's and Warner Brothers'

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Once in a While

Chapter Three- So near, yet so far

James sat on the bed in the hospital wing, examining the place where his hand should have been. Of course, it was still there, the skin had just turned to layer of rock, which cracked when he flexed his fingers. It was quite cool actually, James could have got used to it. Padfoot on the other hand...

He looked over at Sirius opposite him; who had been in the direct line of fire of the explosion and had got a face full of the potion. He looked like something out of a bed muggle horror film.

"Here Mr Potter, put your hand in there."

Turning, he saw Madam Pomfrey offering him a bucket of foaming green liquid, which looked more than slightly dangerous. "Uh.. no thanks."

"Potter!"

Reluctantly, James lowered his hand into the bucket of frothing liquid. It hissed ominously and spent a sharp pang of pain through his hand. A horrible thought struck him, "Oh god! You're dissolving my hand, aren't you?"

"No, I'm not – just the top layer."

"Oh well, that's ok then."

Madam Pomfrey, used to this treatment, rolled her eyes and turned to Sirius, who was trying not to laugh in case his face cracked. "Now Mr Black, I'm afraid I'll have to keep you here a bit longer."

"Nah, don't do that Poppy. Just shove his head in this," James tapped the bucket with his free hand, "If we're lucky he might dissolve completely" Sirius' eyes widened comically behind his stone mask, causing James to snort with laughter. However, after ten minutes he was practically crying with mirth as Sirius had a thick green paste plastered over his face, which began to hiss and steam.

"Potter!" Madam Pomfrey gave him an unnaturally evil look and gently lifted his hand out of the mixture as James struggled to contain himself. Fortunately, his hand was back to normal, and he was allowed to leave. But not before asking Sirius if he wanted some cucumber for his eyes.

Ignoring Sirius' muffled swears, James began to stride down the corridor, hands in his pockets and deep in thought about a certain red haired witch. Before he knew it, he was at the staircase leading to the great hall, where lunch was already in full swing.

"Hey James."

James turned to see a small blonde girl smiling shyly up at him. "Hey."

"I have your potions book."

"Oh. Thanks… err…"

_Oh god, what's her name? Padfoot went out with her last year.. what did he call her? Blondie! No wait, that can't be her real name. What is it? Jodie? No, but It definitely begins with J... Jade? Jane? Jane!_

"Thanks Jane."

"It's Jill, actually"

_Damn! _James grinned at the girl, "Sorry Jill." She blushed scarlet and scuttled off, bumping into some passing students on the way. James smiled to himself and looked down at the book in his hand. It looked strangely well-cared for, the cover wasn't even torn... He flipped open the cover and saw Remus' name written inside. He sighed and made his way towards the Great Hall.

The usual gaggle of students were sitting and happily ploughing their way through the mountains of food when James entered. Occasional puffs of smoke were thrown up into the air from various attempts as spells, and quite a few girls were watching James out of the corner of their eye. All in all, a normal Hogwarts lunchtime. When he looked down the Gryffindor table however, he couldn't see Moony anywhere, just Peter in conversation with a brown haired boy he didn't know. He was about to go join them when;

"Prongs! What are you doing here?"

James spun on his heel to see a flushed looking Remus jogging up to him.

"Looking for you. Here." He handed him the book and Remus sighed,

"Lily must have yours then. Anyway, why were you looking for me here?"

"What?"

"There's a prefects meeting? Now?"

James stared at him, "What?"

"You're supposed to be there now! I was sent to find you!"

And it clicked. "Shit."

James and Remus both broke into a run up the staircase and attempted to go through the teaming corridor, before realising it was useless. There was no way they'd get through there with all the hungry students in their way. They turned and rushed down an alternate route, which was empty, but a lot longer. James was just cursing his bad memory when Moony grabbed his wrist, muttered a password under his breath, and pulled his through a seemingly solid wall

"Where the hell are we?"

"Secret passage – Padfoot and I found it," Remus told him between breaths, "Leads to the fourth floor."

Sure enough, the two emerged, out of breath, from a tapestry just a few doors from where the meeting was taking place. They slowed to a walk to catch their breath and Remus muttered to him, "How in gods name did you make head boy?"

"I have no idea." James replied and followed him inside, spreading his arms wide and announcing to the room at large, "Do not fear! I have arrived!"

"Great." Came a sarcastic reply and James turned to see Lily Evans sitting on a desk, looking angry. "Where the hell have you been?"

"Why, were you looking for me?" He moved towards her and motioned to the space next to her, "Is this seat empty?"

"Yes. And this one will be too if you sit down."

There was a few laughs, which James silenced with a raised eyebrow before he sat down on a nearby chair. Remus chucked him his bag, obviously picked up from the potions room, and he caught it neatly, pulling out a piece of parchment and clearing his throat.

_Ok. No pranks. No jokes. Be sensible Prongs, you can do that. Moony does it all the time. It can't be that hard._

"Right. First we have to work out this new rota, because I know there have been some complaints about it clashing with some peoples clubs and activities. So…" He rummaged around in his bag and pulled out another piece of parchment, "I collected the names of the people here and the clubs they attend, and the times of these clubs, so we can use it to put a new rota together." He glanced at Lily, who was looking at him in mild surprise, and felt a flare of pride, "We'll do that at the end – if that's ok with everyone?"

James was actually a very good head boy – years of planning pranks with his three best friends had provided him with good organisation skills, and he quite enjoyed being in charge of this group of students. As the meeting drew to a close, the group had decided on a new rota, and had thrown back and forth some ideas for the Christmas decorations in the common rooms. As everyone began to pack away, chatting lazily, James called over to Lily.

"Hey Evans!"

She turned around and something stuck in James' throat as her emerald eyes flashed in the light streaming through the window. "Um…"

_Get a hold of yourself man! She's just a girl. A gorgeous girl, but a girl all the same!_

"Yes?" Lily looked at him with mild interest - a definite improvement on the look of hatred she usually reserved for him.

"Yeah. Could you have a word with McGonagall about the decorations. I would do it but... you know..." he gestured with his hand, "old grudges and all that."

"Sure... Oh! and this is yours." She passed him a scruffy potions textbook from her bag, "I borrowed it from Remus."

"Thanks." James took it and was surprised to see her smile at him before making her way towards the door. _Just go for it. _"You want to go out sometime?"

Lily stiffened and turned to him with an angry sigh, "You know Potter, every time you do something which makes me think you might have more than a single brain-cell, you go and prove to me that you're nothing more with a prick with a fast broomstick."

James smiled cheekily, "Is that a yes?"

"Potter, I wouldn't go out with you if you were the last guy on earth."

James watched her storm off, and turned to Remus, bemused. "What was that? I was being nice – I gave her potions ingredients!"

"And blew up the classroom. She was furious about that."

"But I went through the whole meeting without a sex joke! What does that girl want?"

"Maybe… just maybe.. you have to behave yourself for more than half a day."

James stared at him, before looking down at his potions book still in his hands, "Maybe… But that's so boring!"

Moony clapped him on the shoulder, "Yep. Come on, Padfoot might be out of the hospital wing by now."

"I wouldn't bet on it." and James followed him glumly out of the classroom.

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**A/N: **Sorrysorrysorry! Such a slow update! I'm ashamed… 

If you can forgive me, please leave a review – it'll only take a second!


	4. Snowball fights cause colds

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the Harry Potter books or movies. That's all J.K Rowling's and Warner Brothers'

* * *

Once in a while

Chapter Four- Snowball fights cause Colds 

"I don't get it – you're sure you didn't make a sex joke?"

"Nope."

"You didn't even make a comment that might have sounded like a sex joke?"

"I don't think so… Remus?"

"Yes?"

"Did I make a comment that sounded like a sex joke?"

"No."

James turned back to Sirius, his arms spread wide, "See? I was a perfect example of... gentlemanly-ness… and she still said no!"

Sirius shrugged, "Well, I don't know. Women are a mystery to me."

Peter took that opportunity to pipe up curiously, "Then how do you make out with so many?"

"I don't know, Wormtail," Sirius looped an arm round his shoulders with a regretful sigh, "I'm just talented."

"And arrogant."

The other three laughed and made their way towards the castle. They were on their way back from Hogsmeade, the final visit before everyone left for the holidays tomorrow, and all of them were carrying bags of late christmas presents. All from Zonko's, naturally. To the irritation of the teachers, all four boys had decided to stay at school over the holidays. Mainly because James' parents were away on their second honeymoon -a trip that James found thoroughly disgusting. And insulting, as he hadn't been invited.

"Prongs! Lets go join in those second years!" Sirius' voice was excited as he pointed enthusiastically to a group of students throwing round the last few pieces of snow that hadn't melted during this uncommonly warm day in December.

"Now why would we do that?"

"Because it's been a long time since we've involved ourselves in such… fun-filled… exploits?"

James looked confused, and then, ever so slowly, nodded and wandered lazily towards the group with Sirius jumping in his wake. Remus looked after them, eyebrows raised. Sirius had decided it was too warm to wear a jumper today, though the other three were still wearing cloaks. He couldn't help but think that a snowball fight in a shirt could not end well. For anyone.

Peter turned to him, "Moony. I could be wrong, but should we be slightly wary of their fun-loving exploits?."

"Slightly?"

* * *

The first day of the Christmas holidays, a mere three days after the prefect meeting, and one after the famous snowball fight (where the second years were thrashed) was met with a mournful James and a more than slightly irritated Padfoot -not that anyone could blame him. It wasn't just that his best friend was being as boring as a history of magic lesson, or that his hair just wouldn't lie normally. No, he was also suffering from a terrible cold, meaning he looked, and sounded, and felt, like something found in a toilet. 

"Moony!" He moaned, curled up on the sofa, "I feel like crap!"

"Well, maybe you shouldn't have joined in a snowball fight in just a shirt."

"Well, maybe you should shut up."

Remus sighed and moved his pawn to capture Peters castle. There was no point arguing with Sirius when he was ill. It always put him, and the people around him, in a terrible mood.

"Where are the tissues?" groaned Sirius from his seat as he started throwing cushions around. One landed squarely on Wormtail's head with a dull thud and he gave a loud squeak while Remus grabbed the offending cushion and unzipped the cover, producing a box of tissues, which he threw at Sirius' head. "Here."

"Thanks," Sirius blew his nose loudly, "Hey, anyone fancy some chocolate éclairs?"

Remus looked up, "Yeah, alright," he muttered, slightly perturbed by this sudden change of subject.

"Great. Can you grab me some while you're down there?" Sirius flashed him a slightly snotty, but nevertheless handsome grin before sneezing four times in a row.

Peter grinned, "Bless you. Does anyone know where James is?"

Remus shook his head. Sirius, after scrubbing his nose until it was red suggested innocently, "Maybe he's in the kitchens."

"No' one's going to the kitchen!"

"Well, maybe he went for a fly."

The temperature had dropped suddenly this morning and Remus glanced out of the window at the heavily falling snow before turning back to Sirius.

"Come on! We all know James isn't the brightest galleon in the vault."

"But to go flying in the snow? Come on… no' ones that stupid…"

Sirius sniffed in a proud way and grabbed another tissue, which he blew into noisily, causing Peter to wince, "Just go to Madame Pomfrey."

"Do you remember the last time I went? She practically dissolved my face! God knows what'd happen if I went to her for a cold." As if to prove his point Sirius grabbed the blanket and pretended to throttle himself with it. Remus thought about commenting, but decided against it.

Just then, a soaking wet and dishevelled James burst in and Sirius grinned smugly as they spied the broomstick clutched in his hand. He made his way towards the trio and threw himself down next to Sirius, the broomstick propped up carefully next to him and a mournful look on his face.

"What's up with you?"

"I miss Evans."

The three looked at him incredulously. Lily had been gone for about half a day, and she never spoke to Prongs anyway. How in Merlin's name could he miss her?

Sirius, who had spent this short exchange groaning and ferreting around in the blanket, looked miserably at his friends, "I can't find my used tissue pile, I wanted to throw it at Prongs."

"I'm right here!"

"I know. Have you seen it?"

"No!"

Sirius looked disappointed and settled back to cough. Suddenly, James' eyes widened and he stood up slowly to reveal a small pile of particularly dodgy looking tissues. "Crap!"

Sirius laughed loudly, and sung, "They're stuck to your arse," merrily before giving way to a hacking cough.

James yelled and frantically tried to remove the tissues without actually touching them. Needless to say, he looked like a crazed monkey. To top off the scene, Sirius' laughter had sent him off into an enormous coughing fit, causing him to double over and go bright red in the face.

A few people turned to look and laugh while this played out, including Remus and Peter. Eventually James got the offending tissue off his behind and was able to magic them into the fire, where they smouldered gently, too wet to burn. As Peter said, it was disgusting.

James settled on the floor after a suspicious look at the couch. He stared thoughtfully into the flames, which reminded him of a certain girls hair.

"Should I have sent her a card?"

Remus didn't have to ask who 'her' was, "No!"

"Not even one of those really cool dancing ones?"

"They are pretty cool." Chimed in Sirius.

"No!"

There was a moment's silence before, "What about a present?"

"No!"

James crossed his arms in a sulk and threw himself into the couch, looking round at his friends. Wormtail and Moony, who actually wasn't looking too great, were starting a new chess game where the pieces kept yelling obscenities at each other. Sirius was hunched up in his corner of the sofa, blanket, tissues, sweets and an old sock taking up most of the space while he sniffed and sneezed miserably. Miserably and annoyingly.

"Padfoot, go to Poppy right now or I will personally charm your nostrils shut."

Sirius groaned but consented, smacking James upside the head as he trailed, still in his pyjamas and barefoot, towards the portrait hole. The others briefly considered telling him to get dressed, but decided this way would be more entertaining.

After the few moments of amusement regarding Sirius' orange nightwear, James collapsed back against the couch. How in gods name was he supposed to get through a holiday where he had no Evans and no pranks?

It was going to be a tough two weeks.

* * *

**A/N: **Sorry (again)! I've been so busy and just haven't been inspired enough to write! And then I couldn't load it up...You know how it is… ugh. But I'm back now, and finally know exactly where I'm going with this! Yay! 

Anyway, thanks for all the reviews so far, and for any I receive after posting this. (Saying that, you need to review to get the thanks – so go for it! The buttons right there!)


	5. Remus has problems

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the Harry Potter books or movies. That's all J.K Rowling's and Warner Brothers'

* * *

Once in a While

Chapter Five- Remus has problems

Okay, maybe James was exaggerating. Maybe he could get through the holiday without transfiguring someone into some kind of baked good. But he wasn't going to let the other three know that. That was the reason he connected anything anyone said to Evans. The fire to her hair, the Christmas trees which dotted the corridors to her eyes and even the cracker explosions to her yell. So everyone was relived when the holidays drew to a close and Lily came back. Except Lily herself, of course.

The four boys sat in a group at the end of the Gryffindor table, chewing on the various dishes presented to them and talking loudly, in James' case, about Lily.

"She has great hair doesn't she? It's kinda like tomatoes, but less red. And her eyes remind me of grass."

Remus smirked into his plate, "Sounds like you've got the makings of a bad poem there Prongs."

James pulled a particularly disgusting face, just as professor McGonagall appeared behind him. "Are you quite done Potter?"

"Yes?"

"Good. I wanted to say that you can report to Professor Slughorns classroom today at three for your detention."

"Detention professor?"

"For the incident with the potion."

"But... that was before the holidays Professor!" James was flabbergasted. He'd had his hand burnt off as a result of that and now he was being punished again?

"Yes, Mr Potter, it was. And Black." He gaze alighted to Sirius, who was deep in conversation with a giggly blonde, "you will be serving detention with Hagrid, at the same time."

Sirius nodded and resumed his conversation as Professor McGonagall walked smartly off towards the staff table. James sighed and reached for the pitcher of pumpkin juice. It just proved that you can't escape justice, even if it was a little slow catching up with you.

* * *

After a day of running around and throwing things at each other, the four marauders sat in their armchairs in the middle of the afternoon. Today was the day everyone was due back, and as a celebration, James and Sirius were building the world's biggest tower of exploding cards in front of the fire. It was already at shoulder height and still growing as the two boys nipped back to various dorms to get more decks. 

"Everyone will be back soon." Peter muttered. He was buried in some last-minute homework and grumpy, "so you guys might want to hurry up."

Both boys looks horrified, "You can't rush art!" cried James, while Sirius put one hand on his heart in a very flamboyant gesture. Peter rolled his eyes while Remus grinned, and the two bowed back over the piece of parchment.

James and Sirius went back to their tower, which was now about level with their chins, but were distracted again a few minutes later by a quartet of girls climbing through the portrait hole. In the middle was Lily Evans, her hair pulled back into a low ponytail and sipping from a bottle of Gillywater.

James' face lit at the sight and he lifted one arm to wave energetically. Unfortunately he was slightly too close to the enormous pile of cards, which toppled (Sirius dived rather spectacularly out of the way) onto the sofa on which Moony and Wormtail were working. There was a bang which felt like it should have knocked the glass from the windows, and then complete silence. It seemed everyone was stunned.

"Oops" muttered James, glancing guiltily at Padfoot, who opened his mouth to retort but was prevented from doing so by yells from Peter and Remus. The two whirled around to see that the explosion had, somehow, caused Peters homework to catch fire. Not a good thing, seeing as it was on a couch which wasn't exactly flame-proof.

James swore, spun around and grabbed the bottle of Gillywater from Lily, who seemed paralysed with shock and rage. He emptied the bottle over the fire, which hissed and went out, leaving nothing but a black ring on the red material. Peter's homework, however, had not survived. There was a moment's silence.

"Potter!" Lily was looking furious. "What the hell? How am I going to explain that to Professor McGonagall? You really are the most irresponsible…"

McGonagall. Bugger. James glanced at his watch. It was 3:30. He was half an hour late, as was Sirius. The tow boys glanced at each other before hurtling out of the portrait hole and leaving Lily yelling at an empty space.

James skidded to a halt a few minutes later outside Slughorns room. He caught his breath and gently pushed open the door. McGonagall was sitting at the desk, marking papers with a little more ferocity than was probably necessary. Of course she would be overseeing him, it was just his luck. As the door creaked, she looked up.

"And what time do you call this?"

"Um... three thirty?" James forced a laugh which died in the furious look he was receiving.

"Do you have an explanation?"

"Oh. Yeah. Well, you see Professor, what happened there was…" His mind went blank. He could hardly say he'd got distracted by putting out a fire started by the world's largest tower of cards. So, James said the first thing that jumped to mind...

"Remus was crying." Of course, as soon as that escaped his mouth, James regretted it.

"Crying?"

"Yes. It was horrible."

"Why?"

"Um... well, Remus has some problems. He's very insecure."

"Oh?"

"Yes. Very insecure," By this time James' mind was screaming at him to be quiet, to shut the hell up, but since when did James listen to reason? Since never, "He was worried about his hair - he thought it was too… too brown. And that his eyes were also… you know, brown."

Professor McGonagall, bless her heart, was actually looking quite concerned about Remus' crippling self-loathing. At least concerned enough to drop the subject of James' lateness and wave him towards a desk that needed cleaning. James was feeling quite pleased with himself. Or he was for about ten seconds.

"Potter? Tell Remus I would like to talk to him in my office sometime this week."

Oh god. She probably thought the guy was suicidal. He knew he should have said Sirius. She didn't care about Sirius. James groaned inwardly and carried on scrubbing the uneven, wooden surface. He was going to have to talk to Moony.

* * *

"Remus! Dear old Moony! How is life treating the dashing prefect of Gryffindor, the smartest, most dedicated student Hogwarts has ever…" 

Remus didn't look up, "What do you want?"

"Ok." James sat down opposite him, "Here's the thing. McGonagall asked me why I was late to detention, because she has it in for me, mate. She wants to lock me in her classroom of torture for the rest of my natural life, until I have a beard to rival Dumbledore's and…"

"Prongs?"

"Right. Well, she wanted to know what I was doing, and so I made up an excuse, which may just have included you somehow."

Remus looked up then, his hazel eyes narrowing suspiciously, "May have? Like in passing?"

"You could say that. Anyway, I think, somehow, she might have got the impression that you were… crying in the bathroom a bit."

"What? Why?"

"Because your hair's too brown."

Moony lowered his head and slowly banged repeatedly against the desk with a loud dull thud that made James wince quietly.

* * *

A few hours later, Moony had got control of himself, and had accepted his fate, and the two had met Peter, who was mourning the loss of his homework, and Sirius at the great hall for dinner. 

"What happened when you were late for Hagrid?"

"Not much. He just gave me a spade and told me to shovel the dung."

James decided not to ask any more about Sirius' detention. At least until he had finished eating. As he took a forkful of potato, Lily walked past him and he smiled cheerily at her. She tossed her hair angrily and continued down the table.

Sighing, James looked down at his mashed potato. In a fit of romantic daydreams, he started to create a 'food lily'- her hair was carrots and her eyes were peas. It was quite a good likeness he thought. Almost too good to eat. He was dimly aware of Moony looking over his shoulder.

"That is the most disgusting thing I've ever seen," said Remus conversationally. Right at that moment a Slytherin fell off the table; Sirius had a massive laughing fit and sent a large, chewed piece of steak across the table and onto Peter's nose.

"I stand corrected."

* * *

**A/N: **Wow! An update in less than a week! I bet you're all impressed! You can show me how impressed you really are by leaving me a review! Love to everyone who made it this far! x 


	6. The new Padfoot and Prongs

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the Harry Potter books or movies. That's all J.K Rowling's and Warner Brothers'

* * *

Once in a While

Chapter Six- The new Padfoot and Prongs

The transfiguration classroom was in chaos. The seventh year Griffindors were supposed to be providing rocks with legs, and some had managed it. These students were the ones chasing small grey creatures through the desks and, quite often, under their classmates legs.

Of course, legs weren't the only things being grown (and crawled under). A rock belonging to one unfortunate girl had grown a particularly sharp pair of fangs, and she stood nervously a few feet away from her desk while it snarled at her. Needless to say, there was a lot of shouting, swearing and general noise while Professor McGonagall made her way calmly through the room.

James smiled proudly as his rock scuttled across the table on a set of spiders legs. McGonagall gave him a surprised but happy nod as she passed and he smiled more broadly. Then he turned to Sirius, who was looking disgruntled at his rocks lack of legs.

"Can you believe it? I haven't pranked for three weeks! I don't even have shakes anymore, look! Solid as a rock!" James shoved his hand under Sirius' nose, proving that it was, in fact, solid as a rock.

"What about the explosion?"

"That wasn't a prank – it was an accident!"

Sirius glanced down at the rock he was transfiguring, "Speaking of accidents…"

The rock had, somehow, managed to grow itself a long tail, which was currently swishing across the desk. Half of Sirius' possessions went flying with a resounding crash which could be heard even over the hubbub of the lesson.

Sirius winced and glanced at James, "Do you think there's any chance she won't notice?"

"Black!

"Never mind."

As Sirius was set to work tidying up the pool of ink spreading across the floor, James turned in his seat to look at Remus and Peter behind them. Remus' rock had grown four of its eight legs and was dragging itself in small circles, while Peter's stayed firmly where it was, motionless.

"Three weeks!" grinned James, as Remus stared at his rock. You had to admire its determination – the thing wasn't giving up anytime soon.

"Yep," Remus swished his wand over the rock, and the four legs fell off, "You have set a new record." He poked it again and smiled to himself as eight legs shot out. "In fact, I think you should go to Dumbledore right now. He will definitely want to reward you with some kind of edible good."

Something struck James as he watched the rock tear off the edge of the desk and onto the floor. Three weeks. Three weeks since he'd thrown a prank. And in that time, unless he was becoming very forgetful, nothing 'out of the ordinary' had happened. He looked up at Remus, who was showing Peter how to work the spell and asked him in a low voice, "Moony, have you heard anymore about your furry little problem?"

Remus' hand slipped and the rock went flying into a girls head, causing her to squeal and glare in his direction. He mouthed an apology and then turned to give James an annoyed look, earning himself some raised eyebrows in reply. Sighing, he muttered in an equally low voice, "I'll see um… him… on Friday."

James nodded and Remus stood to help Peter retrieve his rock. Turning back to his desk, he was met with Sirius' face by his knee. "What was that about?"

"Friday night."

Just then the bell went and there was a sigh of relief from the class. Things were thrown into bags and the exhausted students made their way out of the room. James, Sirius, Peter and Remus were the last ones out, as Padfoot had to finish his cleaning.

"Mr Lupin! Can I speak to you for a moment?"

James and Remus froze in their tracks, both wincing. Remus gave James an accusing look before turning towards the desk.

"Go on Mr Potter." The teacher gave him a knowing look. and James found himself shunted out of the room. As McGonagall shut the door James saw Remus looking furiously at him over her shoulder. He was in deep trouble, he could tell. He sighed and turned to Sirius, who was waiting with his back against the wall.

"Wow. Moony looks happy."

Prongs groaned and walkedup to him, "Where'd Wormtail get to?"

Sirius looked around, "Dunno. Guess he went with someone else."

James sighed; he wished Sirius could pay a bit more attention to Peter. He knew that Sirius would give his life for the guy, but he still never seemed particularly bothered about him. Perhaps it was because Wormtail never talked, and Sirius never shut up. But he couldn't help but feel bad for the smallest member of the group.

He was brought back to the present by Sirius throwing an arm round his shoulders and forcing him to fall into step behind him as he made his way away from the classroom door.

"Well, Mr Prongs. I hear that our beloved gamekeeper has received a new batch of livestock today. Would you care to guess what species?"

James pretended to think. "Well, taking into account all the creatures Mr Hagrid already has at his disposal, I'll have to guess that they are some kind of reptilian slug."

"No…" Sirius gave him a weird look, "You couldn't be more wrong. They are in fact, as warm blooded as you and me. They are… the kings of the farmyard - the almighty... Nifflers!"

James faked surprise, throwing his arms above his head and giving a delighted yell as he ran into a nearby corridor."Nifflers! Holy shit! What an amazing discovery for a forth year class!" He slowed and spun on the spot to look at his best friend, "Come on Pads, why do you care?"

"Well, I was thinking that we should use these creatures in some kind of... entertaining situation."

"A prank?"

"Well, if you have to be so obvious about it."

Both boys drew to a halt down the abandoned corridor. A portrait looked down on them with interest. "Padfoot," James gave Sirius an irritated look, "You know I can't."

Sirius looked annoyed and kicked a wall, causing the wizard to jump slightly and look affronted. "God Prongs! You're getting to be so bloody boring!"

James recoiled, no' one, no' one, called him the b-word. "Well, maybe I'm growing up. You should try it sometime."

Sirius looked sharply at him, his grey eyes cold and hard. "Fine. Whatever. You can 'grow up'. I guess I'll just pull this on my own."

"Fine. You do that."

"I will."

"Fine."

"Fine!"

"Good!"

"Good!"

James turned on his heel and walked off, his bag swinging in his wake. He felt a bit stunned. He never fought with Sirius, even when he was seriously annoyed with him. He usually just made his feelings known by exploding his food or something. But he didn't do that anymore, he reminded himself. Perhaps that was it. He probably had a lot of pent up anger...

Looking up, James realised he was outside the transfiguration classroom. The door was still shut.He lent back against the wall and decided to wait for Remus to emerge. He didn't want to think about the things McGonagall was saying to him in an attempt to boost his confidence.

"_Now Remus, you have very nice hair…"_

James snorted with laughter. Poor guy. He'd have to make it up to him. Perhaps he could allow him to be his new best friend. They'd be the new Padfoot and Prongs…

Just then the door swung open and Remus came out, his face flushed scarlet with embarrassment. He shut the door firmly behind him and then noticed his friend. His look of embarrassment changed quickly to anger.

James gulped. How could they be the new Padfoot and Prongs if he was angry at him? He didn't want Moony angry anyway. The kid might be skinny, but he was heavy, and a werewolf. James was willing to bet he could cause an extensive amount of damaged if provoked. Best take it easy.

"Hiya Moony! You're looking particularly healthy today! Have you been working out?"

"You idiot. I have never felt so stupid in my life. Ever."

James gulped.

A few minutes later the two boys were making their way down the corridor; Remus in a much better mood and James with considerably redder hair than he had woken up with.

* * *

**A/N: **Hiya guys! Sorry this one has been a bit longer coming - it caused me a lot of problems. And I'm still not entirely happy with it... I hope it was okay– and please don't forget to review! x 


	7. Beaten

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the Harry Potter books or movies. That's all J.K Rowling's and Warner Brothers'

* * *

Once in a while

Chapter Seven - Beaten

The Marauders, as usual, were in a lesson - only this time it was charms. This lesson was the one that never really registered in the boys minds - maybe because they actually enjoyed it, and so the lesson seemed to swoop past at a speed quite unnatural, and they were unable to do anything substantial.

At the moment they were all happily shooting jets of water into buckets on the opposite end of the room, occasionally hitting their classmates and constantly roaring with laughter. Their peers weren't quite sure what the source of their amusement was, and kept glancing nervously over. This usually meant they lost their aim and someone else got wet, tempting another peal of laughter from the small group.

Their teacher, a tiny man with a long beard and pointed hat, came pottering over to calm them down. He gave them a sharp lecture, which was met with smirks and suppressed giggles and sighed in exasperation. Looking up at them all, his eyes landed on Sirius Black, who grinned charmingly down at him while Lupin buried his head in his arms, shoulders shaking with mirth. The professor's bright eyes examined Sirius closely, landing upon the top of his head.

"Black, you need to organise a haircut."

A snort from James.

"Hey!" Sirius brought a hand up to his collar-length black locks, "My hair's shorter than a lot of peoples here!"

"Really? Give me an example."

Sirius rolled his eyes and turned to point out certain students, "Them. Them. And them. Them."

Flitwick rolled his eyes, "And can you see any boys with hair longer than you, Black?"

Sirius stared dumbly around the classroom, scanning the crowd of students desperately. "Well…"

"I thought not." And Flitwick walked away, shaking his head in bemusement as they broke out laughing once again and jet of water knocked his hat off.

Anyone watching the scene would never have guessed that two of the marauders had fought only a couple of days before, and it was true they showed no sign of it. The two boys themselves, however, could feel it lying beneath their surface like an irritating itch. Neither of them spoke about it, and tried not to show it, but it was still there. And unless one of themcaved in, which seemed unlikely, they were worried that it always would be.

* * *

Evening approached faster than they could have ever imagined, and before they knew it they had eaten dinner, and were making their way along another of Hogwarts' busy, winding corridors, discussing the Hogsmeade visit which would be coming up the next week. 

"And Wormtail, you have to behave yourself this time. No jumping into the barrel of every flavour beans."

"You pushed me!"

Sirius chuckled to himself, "Yeah…"

James and Remus laughed as the four boys made their way towards the Library. They had finally given in and were going to start studying for their NEWTs, which were now just over two months away. Remus had been nagging them gently for weeks now, but it was only recently that the severity of the situation has actually hit them. These exams would affect their entire futures, and it might, (as James had pointed out) be in their best interests to do well. And so the four entered, albeit reluctantly, into the giant, echoing space and set about trying to find a table. Peter and Remus walked off towards the far corner where the muggle studies books were crammed, and Sirius and James were left alone. There was a moments silence before Sirius spoke.

"Hey, Prongs. Are you sure you won't…"

"No," said James firmly, "I won't be sucked in by your immature, cruel, hilariously funny prank…"

"It involves the Nifflers."

He could feel his resolve wavering. Nifflers were very funny animals… _No! Get a hold of yourself Prongs! _

He shook his head to clear his thoughts, "No. I can't. Sorry Pads."

Sirius just shrugged, transferred the book he just had grabbed from a bookcase to his other arm, and strutted off to find a free table. James watched for a second, recovering his resolve, and then hurried after him.

The library was, as always, filled with people reading, writing and talking quietly, although they fell into a falsely obedient silence when the librarian, Madame Prince, swooped past them. James smiled brightly at her and slipped past, eyes swivelling for a glimpse of Sirius' head. Eventually he saw him, dropping the book onto an empty table, his bag on the floor and himself onto one of the old wooden chairs. He joined him and did the same.

"Okay. Potions," James flipped open his bag, stared inside for a second and then glanced up at Sirius, "do you have a potions book?"

"What do you think?" said Sirius, and James stood with a groan. He made his way towards the shelf where the potions books were kept, and smiled to himself at the sight of a small boy jumping up and down in a futile attempt to pick a book from a top shelf.

"Potter! You brain-dead moron!"

James turned and gaped as Lily Evans walked smartly up to him, but quickly recovered and forced his trademark grin into place. Her red hair was loose today, falling in gentle waves as her bright green eyes glinted with their usual annoyance, "Listen Potter. I need you to meet me in here tomorrow at six – we need go over some things for graduation."

"Really?"

Lily looked even more irritated, "You're head boy aren't you?"

"Sure am." James' grin widened, and he opened his mouth to ask her for a butterbeer after. But suddenly, common sense kicked in, and instead he just cleared his throat, "So I'll see you then."

Lily grimaced and stalked off, leaving James with a strange light feeling in his stomach and a small smile on his face. He grabbed the book from the high shelf and passed it to the blonde boy, who stared at him, agog, before running off as quietly and quickly as he could. James looked around the shelf, grabbed his needed book, and sauntered off towards his table.

As the reached it, however, he stopped and stared. The whole surface, which had been empty when he had left, was covered with parchment, quills and scorch marks. He couldn't even see the book anymore. Cautiously he approached Sirius, who had hold of several pieces of the paper and seemed to be writing numbers onto them in a careful, bold script. His wand smoked slightly next to him, and James picked it up, looking confused.

"What are you doing?"

"Writing numbers of pieces of paper."

"For the… Prank?"

"Yep. Can I have my wand?"

James handed the offending object back and watched as Sirius placed the tip against the paper and it glowed with some intense heat. Then he scanned the pieces of parchment carefully, "You've left out 17."

There was a moment's pause, and then Sirius looked up at him, grinning slyly.

"Exactly."

It was then that James knew, despite all his work and considerable willpower, that he had been pulled in by his best friend. Beaten.

* * *

**A/N:** Guys! No reviews for the last chapter? I'm upset! Please, please review – I'm worried that none of you liked it! 


	8. Nifflers and Detention

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the Harry Potter books or movies. That's all J.K Rowling's and Warner Brothers'

* * *

Once in a while

Chapter Eight – Nifflers and Detention

The girl turned and stared at the thing which had just squeaked so loudly. It was small, black and had a peculiarly long nose, but it was also very fluffy with big shiny eyes. She smiled and knelt down, cooing at the little creature.

"Hello sweetie! What are you doing then? What are you doing?"

Her group of friends, who were standing in a group nearby, smiled fondly as she reached slowly towards the creature, a thin bracelet glinting on her wrist…

* * *

Slughorn stood with his head inside the potions cupboard, stretching towards a small bottle at the back. Just then a high-pitched scream ripped through the still air. He jumped and smacked his head on the wood, he felt a lump swelling on his crown but ignored it, already halfway across the classroom. 

As he emerged into the corridor, he stared at his third year class – all of whom were yelling at something in the middle of their small crowd. Horace threw himself into the fray, using his considerable size to his advantage as he forced his way to the front and gaped at the spectacle before him.

Miss Smith was thrashing around in the small space her peers had left her. At first he couldn't see why, but then all became clear. A small creature was clinging to her back, scrabbling at her jumper with tiny, sharp claws.

"Everyone stay calm," he bellowed at the top of his lungs, and the chaos quietened slightly, "Miss Smith! Keep still girl!"

She fought to still herself and Slughorn took aim, "Stupefy!"

The creature froze and fell stiffly off of it's steeds back. The girl cried out and shuddered, rubbing as much of her back as she could reach as if to dislodge anything else which may be attached. Tears swum in her eyes as her teacher made his slow way towards her, stopping only to pick up the stunned animal. He put one plump, comforting hand on his students shoulder.

"Come on, Miss Smith," he said gently, "Luckily for you, we're studying calming solutions today, so that should sort you out."

He led the class into the classroom and filled a flask with a thick, gluttonous liquid, which he then passed to Miss Smith, who drank it and then made her wobbly way to her seat, her friends crowding around her like a swarm of ants.

Slughorn tooka minute, usually used by the class to organise themselves, to examine the creature removed from the girl. Small, black and fluffy. A Niffler, without a doubt. And it had something attached to his back. A number 12. What was going on?

Little did he know, very similar events were unfolding throughout the Hogwarts castle. A group of seventh years, including the four Marauders, roared with laughter as one of their number lost a Niffler (number 3) down their trousers. On a lower floor, Professor Flitwick ran from number 7 as it made a beeline for the buckle on his hat, his first years staring bemusedly after him. But they were, after all, only Nifflers and were easily and quickly captured.

For this reason, the teachers had several animals screeching inside a large cage when break rolled around. They stood around it in the staffroom, examining them curiously and counting under their breath.

"Fifteen, " muttered Minerva McGonagall, "sixteen... eighteen? What happened to seventeen?"

"It must be in there somewhere."

"No, It's not there."

The teachers all groaned, there must be another one running around the castle! Merlin knew where – the building was mammoth and Nifflers were tiny. They were in for a long search… one which should start straight away.

* * *

James and Sirius smiled smugly to themselves as another small group of teachers rushed past. They had been searching for number seventeen for hours, and seemed thoroughly bemused when it didn't turn up. A few had given them suspicious glances, but hadn't followed anything up. It seemed, at least to them, like they'd got away with it. That and the prospect of the meeting with Lily, followed by a run around under the full moon, filled James with a feeling of glee. At least, until three o' clock, when Professors McGonagall and Flitwick took the captured Nifflers down to Hagrid's hut. 

"There's still one missing Hagrid, I'm sorry. We'll get it to you as soon as possible," insisted McGonagall, helping to place to cage by the steps leading to the painted wooden door.

"What ya talkin' bout Minerva?" Hagrid squatted on his haunches, admiring the cage, "they're all 'ere."

"Sorry?"

"There was only nineteen. Bit o' an odd number, I know, but I wasn' about to complain!" Hagrid gave a booming belly laugh that Minerva felt through her feet.

"Really? How strange." Flitwick looked suspiciously at his college, "And you don't have any idea who might of taken them Hagrid?"

"Nah... Unless…"

"Unless?"

"Well, young Sirius Black came down to visit me this mornin'. Asked to see 'em. So I showed 'im where they were 'n he left. But I didn' check them again til you said they were loose."

The two teachers exchanged surprised looks, which quickly changed to exasperation.

"Black," sighed Minerva, while Flitwick tutted beside her, "Of course. Thank you Hagrid."

The three bid goodbye and the two made their way back to the castle. The students were just settling down to eat dinner, and Potter and Black were in the thick of it. They sat in the middle of the table, surrounded by a group of sixth and seventh years, mostly female. They seemed to be telling a story, with occasional input from Lupin or Pettigrew, which caused rounds of laughter from all nearby. As their head of house passed however, they all fell oddly silent, watching them until they were a few metres away, when they burst into laughter once again.

This was all the evidence Minerva needed, she spun on her heel and made her way towards the group. The laughter stilled again and she pointed at the two ringleaders.

"Black. Potter. My Office, NOW!"

* * *

And so James found himself standing awkwardly in the middle of the scarlet carpet, trying his best not to laugh as Sirius' shoulders shook with suppressed mirth. 

"Do you think this is funny?"

A typical teacher comment. James bit back a smart comment but Sirius snorted with laughter. The vein in McGonagall's forehead threatened to explode.

"Do you have ANY IDEA how much time we wasted searching for that Niffler?"

"Ten minutes?" James asked, widening his eyes innocently. In actual fact, for most of the day teachers had been popping in and out of lessons and generally disrupting the student's learning. Not that they were complaining.

"Right. That's it.60 points from Gryffindor and three detentions each, starting tonight. I expect you both back here at 5:45."

"But professor.."

"No buts! Now get out of my sight before I make it 100 points and five detentions."

Groaning, the two boys made their way out of the room, where Remus and Peter were waiting.

"How'd it go?"

"Sixty points and three detentions."

"Ah." The four boys began to make their way down the corridor, occasionally stopped by their classmates for brief chats concerning James and Sirius' punishment, and the hilarity of the prank in general.

This continued back in the common room. James was leaning against the wall, laughing as Sirius re-enacted Slughorn diving into the storeroom when someone had imitated a Niffler squeak, when someone pushed through the crowd and hit him on the shoulder. Hard.

"Ouch!"

"So you have detention this evening?"

"Oh.. yeah. So I can't make it to that meeting… sorry…."

"I bet you are!" Lily glared at him, "I can't rely on you for anything, can I Potter? How in gods name were you named as head boy? You are so irresponsible!" She sighed and pushed a lock of hair behind her ear, "But… I really need to get this done… what about after your detention? It can't go on all night."

"Won't that be a bit late?"

"Oh please!" Lily laughed spitefully, "as if you care about being out after curfew! I can get a pass anyway."

"Oh. Well… no. Sorry Evans, I have a… prior arrangement."

Lily stared at him with pure rage, "With some slut I wouldn't imagine. Fine. Whatever. It's only our graduation, it doesn't matter!" Her voice was heavy with sarcasm.

Despite himself, James flared up, "Hey! I can't help it if I have other things to do!" He didn't mention that the 'other things he had to do' were running round with a werewolf as an illegal animagi. Lily just shook her head and muttered something about never trusting him with anything, turning and storming off while James glared after her.

"Come on mate, " Sirius clapped his hand on his shoulder, "We've got a hot date!"

The crowd laughed as Sirius led him away, but James didn't join in. Any chance he had had with Lily Evans, everything he'd been working towards, had just flown out the window faster than the latest Cleansweep. He'd have to start again from scratch.

* * *

**A/N: **Poor James! Thanks for all the reviews guys – you're all awesome! Lol! Please don't leave me now! Next chapter: full moons and flattery! 


	9. Something in common

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the Harry Potter books or movies. That's all J.K Rowling's and Warner Brothers'

* * *

Once in a While

Chapter Nine- Something in common

The moonlight covered the Hogwarts grounds with a light frosting of silver and blue, with the gigantic white orb hanging mysteriously in the velvet sky. As it inched upwards, a muffled scream wavered in the air, and was soon overtaken by a aching, mournful howl. Ears pricked up throughout the village of Hogsmeade and curtains were hurriedly drawn across the glowing windows, trapping the night, and whatever it contained, outside.

In the forbidden forest the trees blocked most of the light, creating ripples of white light on the dark ground. Suddenly something giant flew into the clearing, snorting through it's nostrils and tossing its antlered head. The stag turned frantically in a circle, kicking and bucking as if trying to dislodge something. It was swiftly followed by two large canines, both barking and snarling. They leapt around the stags feet, crying out, until something small flew into the air from the stags shoulders.

With a yelp of a laugh, the darkest dog pranced under the creature, catching it easily on its back while it squeaked madly, scrabbling to attach itself to the thick fur while the stag threw back its head and snorted as if with amusement.

Suddenly, a shout rang through the commotion. A loud burst of laughter from the castle, or perhaps somewhere beyond. The sound distracted one of the quartet, causing the head to swivel and the golden eyes to narrow. The others froze, watching as the werewolf seemed to fight something, trying to prevent its feet from carrying it towards the source of the noise...

The dog moved silently round to block the wolf's path, and the stag trotted to stand close by. Even the rat sat on its hind legs from its perch on its gigantic steed, looking curiously on.

And then the moment was gone, and the strange group restarted with their strange game, calling to each other in completely separate languages as the moon shone gently down on them.

* * *

James woke with a stiff neck and an aching abdomen, his muscles screaming in protest as he sat up in his bed. Groaning, he pulled open the drapes, and, seeing the bathroom door open, jumped to action, throwing himself towards the other side of the room. Unfortunately, Sirius had also just woken and was barrelling in the same direction. The two boys collided and fell to the floor in a tangle of limbs, yelling obscenities as a blurry-eyed Peter stepped over them and entered the room. It locked with a sound click behind him and James and Sirius both swore loudly. 

Thirty minutes later, several of them spent pounding on the door and yelling at Wormtail to 'move his lazy arse'. The three boys made their way to the hospital wing, laden with sweets and chocolates which they'd found skulking in forgotten corners in the dormitory. Their arm muscles were aching by the time they entered the eerily clean warm, obviously not being able to escape the strain of the night before.

They staggered over to the only occupied bed and dropped the stash on its occupant, who stared for a moment at the multicoloured offerings covering his page, and then peered up at his friends.

"Thanks?"

"No problem," Sirius threw himself down on the end of the bed, crossing his legs and scooping half of the sweets into his lap, "These are mine."

The other two helped themselves and collapsed in various places around Remus, who was left with a very small portion of the original sweet collection.

"Perhaps one day I'll be allowed to eat my sweets myself."

The other boys scoffed in disbelief and a chocolate frog hit Remus in the forehead. He peeled it off gingerly and bit off a leg, collapsing back into the millions of pillows he had been provided with while he was examined by his friends.

Remus wasn't looking too good, decided James as he sorted through some every flavour beans with a liquorish wand. A small white bandage was attached to his left cheekbone, through which he could see a dark brown patch of blood. His face was pale and drawn, though that was mostly from tiredness than anything, and his voice seemed hoarse. But then he had been howling all night.

His thoughts slipped back to the previous night. The marauders had spent most of it running round the forest, generally causing havoc. They had found an old cave which might have led somewhere, but they had been put off exploring it properly by the unicorn skeleton lying in pieces just inside the mouth. It had been good fun… a much better time than he could have had in the library. Even if it was with Lily Evans…

* * *

The girl in question was walking down the corridor as James, Sirius and Peter made their way away from the hospital wing. As usual, they had been kicked out by Madame Pomfrey, who didn't find their 'advice' on looking after Remus helpful. It was the same every month, and you might have thought they would have leant to keep their mouths shut, but as Sirius pointed out – "It's just so funny when her face goes that purple colour!" 

Anyway, to cut a long story short, James was walking with his two friends down the corridor leading away from the hospital wing when Lily turned the corner towards them. She didn't seem to even noticed James, too busy looking concerned as her friend clutched her stomach and groaned in pain. She had one arm around her protectively and was murmuring comforting words as the two groups approached.

James slowed as her neared them, looking concernedly at Lilys friend, "Are you okay?"

"She's fine," snapped Lily, and attempted to pull her companion along faster. In her haste to escape from James and keep hold of the girl however, she allowed her bag to slip off her shoulder. It hit the ground with a clatter, books and quills spilling out all over the stone floor.

"Crap," muttered the red-head, glancing between her friend and the mess on the floor. The girl moaned again, her eyes brightening as she tried to contain tears.

"Take her to Pomfrey. I'll get it," said James, and motioned towards the hospital wing. For a moment Lily looked torn between her dislike for allowing James to communicate with her in any way, and her concern for her friend, who was now holding back the tears quite obviously. Her concern prevailed and she took her arm again. leading her friend gently towards the open double doors.

"Oi! Prongs! You coming?"

"Um… give me a minute," James replied, "Tell Slughorn I won't be long!"

Sirius, whos head was poking round the corner nodded and disappeared as James knelt to collect the items and bag. He was making a real effort here, he realised, to get Lily to forgive him. Perhaps if he did this, Evans would forgive him for abandoning her last night… Grabbing the last speckled quill from the floor, he shoved it in the shoulder bag and strolled casually toward the hospital wing.

He entered and saw Lily's unique hair almost instantly, it was the brightest thing in the room, bar the sweets packets still adorning Moony's bed. He moved forward and stood beside her, his heart suddenly banging uncomfortably against his ribs.

"Here," he passed the bag to Lily and she took it without a word. There was a moments awkward silence.

"Well, we have something in common, " ventured Lily, "we both have ill friends. What's wrong with Remus?"

James looked at her, and then along at Remus, who was pretending to read a book upside down with his amber eyes surveyed them over the top.

"Oh! Um.." he motioned to Moony, who flipped the book over, "he has the flu."

"Really? So what's wrong with his cheek?"

As we know, impromptu excuses weren't James' talent. "Er… the high temperature made him, you know, hallucinate, and he fell down the stairs."

Lily looked sideways at him. "Hallucinate?"

James looked back, trying to ignore how attractive she was when she wasn't screaming at him, and at the same time come up with an excuse. Thankfully, at that moment Madame Pomfrey came out from behind the screen that hid Lily's friend.

"Miss Evans? Can I see you for a moment?"

"Sure." Lily made her way towards the middle-aged witch, "Thanks for my bag James."

"Ug…" James stared after her. Had she just called him James? He felt heat rise in his ears and neck and cleared his throat nervously, calling back to her retreating back, "No problem." His voice sounded unusually croaky.

Madame Pomfrey was giving him a look that said quite clearly 'get out of my ward or you will die'. So James raised a hand to Remus in goodbye and practically skipped away, his heart bouncing.

Who knew things would turn around so quickly? Who knew being polite could have such enormous effect? From that moment he would be polite to Lily all the time, he decided, then she would not be able to resist his subtle charms…

* * *

**A/N: **Um.. I can't think of anything to write here today! Lol! Just that I hope you enjoyed this – I loved writing the Lily/James interaction! – and please review! I'm going to try and reply to them all! 


	10. Second Chances

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the Harry Potter books or movies. That's all J.K Rowling's and Warner Brothers'

Once in a While

Chapter Ten- Second Chances

* * *

Lily approached a door, and James opened it for her. Lily was carrying her books, and James offered to take them for her. Lily was sitting down to eat, and James stopped to ask her friend how her stomach was feeling. Surprisingly, she felt a stab of annoyance on that occasion, but that was stupid. Why should she be annoyed that James Potter was talking to Emma and not her?

James himself, however, found the next few weeks exhausting. What was McGonagall talking about when she said that a little politeness doesn't cost anything? It was costing him something, quite clearly. He could actually feel the years piling onto him! He had found a way to relieve some of his pent up tension however - by hiding a dungbomb in Remus' bed.

"Aargh! What the… Prongs!"

James laughed and dodged the offending item aimed at him as Sirius entered the room.

"Evening Gentleman!"

"Where've you been?"

Sirius grinned superiorly, lying on his bed with his hands behind his head. "You may ask, Mr Prongs, you may ask."

There was a moments silence, where the other three waited expectantly. Eventually Peter broke it, "So.. where have you been?"

Sirius sat bolt upright, still grinning, "Getting some… erm… 'Arithmancy tuition' with young Miss Fisher!" His eyebrows wriggled suggestively, in a way the gave the impression that they were completely separate from each other.

James and Remus both groaned loudly and turned away, busying themselves with other activities. James grabbed an old jumper of the floor, examining it and wondering whether it would be too gross to wear it tomorrow, and Remus waved his wand over his bedding in an vain attempt to remove the smell.

Peter however, looked confused, "But… you don't take Arithmancy!"

His roommates turned and stared at him for a moment, waiting for Peter to catch on. Eventually his small mouth turned into a little 'o' of comprehension and he blushed pink. Sirius let out his familiar bark of laughter and swung his long legs off his bed. He stretched his arms above his head, and then froze, sniffing the air like a dog picking up a scent. A look of disgust grew on his handsome features, "What's that smell?"

"Moony's bed."

Sirius looked disgustedly at Remus, "Dude! There's a bathroom right there!"

"It was a dungbomb, Pads."

"Sure," sniffed Sirius to James, "that's what he wants us to think…"

Remus groaned and buried his head in the now odourless pillow. "Kill me now, Peter."

"Yes, Kill him now Peter!"

"Yes! Kill! Kill!"

The two ringleaders of the group staggered across the room and collapsed against each other, breathless with mirth. The swiftness of the change in mood was remarkable – one could only assume that James' good behaviour had made him giddy, and Sirius was… well… just Sirius.

Remus' head emerged from the pillow, his hair sticking up madly at the front as a result. This teamed with his gravely serious expression gave the impression of a furious hedgehog, and did nothing to relieve the others condition.

"Gah! gah!" Cried James, past the point where he could use recognisable language, and gesturing first at Remus, and then at his own hair in a desperate attempt to convey his meaning.

"Yeah!" howled Sirius, "It looks like… like…"

"Silenco!" muttered Remus with a flourish of his wand, and the two taller boys fell completely silent. For a moment they continued to laugh, their faces stretching and eyes streaming, until the fact that no noise was escaping seemed to dawn. The laughter died and was replaced with a look of confusion, when they started straining their throats in a hopeless attempt to yell in each others ears. Remus' mouth twitched in spite of himself, and the werewolf gave a snort of laughter.

Realisation dawned, and the two turned to stare at him. There was a beat where nothing happened, and then they began to silently threaten Remus with a wide range of gestures – some of which the teen had never even see before. He watched calmly as his friends waved at him, fighting an overwhelming desire to laugh but displaying only complete calm, before picking up his schoolbag and walking to the door.

Remus twisted the golden handle and raised his eyebrows at Peter in a questioning gesture. Peter glanced nervously at James and Sirius, before smiling slightly, shrugging, and walking out the room. As Moony followed behind him, he allowed the two a glimpse at his wide grin before the door shut behind them.

Sirius and James both watched him go with utmost horror etched on their features. Their heads swivelled to look at each other, and the two faces asked the same question: How in gods name where they going to get their voices back now?

As one they barrelled towards the door and wrenched it open. The common room was, for once, empty - with Remus and Peter nowhere to be seen. With mouthed curses, the two flew towards the portrait hole, ending up staggering into the corridor. They ignored the Fat Ladies cheerful greeting and hurried along, reaching the end of the corridor and stopping. After a brief but completely silent argument, they turned left, almost colliding with a group of seventh year girls coming the opposite direction. Lily Evans was among them, which was strangely convenient, though no' one noticed it at the time.

Lily smiled at the two friends, though it seemed to be more directed at one than the other. "Hey James. Black."

Potter seemed to be gesturing madly towards himself. Or at his throat, to be more precise. Lilly stared at him, her shaped eyebrows lowering in confusion. "What is it?"

James rolled his eyes and began to wave his arms around even more madly. Black had also taken it upon himself to join in, and in one swift movement smacked James upside the head. James opened his mouth, gasping in pain, and quickly spun round to retaliate, punching Black hard on the arm. Sirius blinked, looked annoyed, and shoved James. James blinked, looked annoyed, and shoved Sirius. And Lily had no choice but to watch as this peculiar scene continued to play out before her, like some sort of bad sketch show on a muted television... Muted?

"Um…" she raised a hand, paused, and rapped James on the shoulder, "Why are you guys so quiet?"

The fight was immediately forgotten, and both boys turned to stare at her wildly. Then they started, in a weird unison, to make frantic slicing movements across their throat. Lily stared at them, and the motions sped up. Then it clicked.

"Oh right! Yeah, sure. Hang on," she scrabbled in her bag and produced her wand, flicking it neatly at first James, then Sirius. Both boys gave a strange gargle and clutched at their throats, humming experimentally as Lily tried not to laugh.

"What happened?"

"Remus bloody Lupin! That's what happened!"

"Remus?" Lily laughed loudly, "Really? I didn't think he had it in him!"

"Well, there's lots of things you don't know about us Evans," grinned Sirius.

Lily rolled her eyes, but more in amusement than annoyance, and shifted her bag further onto her shoulder, "I bet there are Black. And I can't say I'm too upset about it."

Sirius laughed and heard several other voices laugh along with him. That was when he remembered that there were in fact, several girls around. It would be polite of him, he thought, to give Prongs some alone time with Evans. It was what a good friend should do.

"Can I escort you lovely ladies back to the common room?"

There was a collective giggle, and Sirius found himself swept along by the gang of girls, leaving Lily and James alone. They stood in silence for a second, James running a hand nervously through his jet-black locks and Lily putting her wand away. She looked back up and examined him for a second before opening her mouth to speak.

"Oh James. I was going to tell you. At the next meeting I need to find someone to help me with the graduation stuff. You know, the things I wanted to do a few weeks ago…" She attempted to keep the annoyance from entering her tone, in respect to her improved relationship with Potter, but didn't entirely succeed. She took a deep breath before continuing, "So I need to you put a place aside for the next meeting so I…"

"I'll do it!" The eagerness was obvious in his voice.

"Sorry?"

"I'll help you out."

"You?"

"Yes… Come on Lily, don't look like that! I promise to turn up!"

"Well," Lily glanced around, but no escape route was shown to her. Could she really trust him not to ruin it again? He had changed during the last few weeks… "I suppose… Fine! 4 o' clock tomorrow in the Library then."

"Great! Library, 4 'o clock. Got it." James grinned happily and raised a hand in a goodbye as he left the corridor after Sirius.

Lily was left staring at the place he had been, feeling slightly stunned. She couldn't believe she had just given James Potter a second chance! Something she had vowed she would never do! Her resolve was definitely slipping…

However, the Head Boy did seem different now. He was being polite, friendly, almost kind. She couldn't actually remember the last time she'd had to yell at him… Well, she could. It was when he got that detention. Lily almost winced at the memory, embarrasment flooding her. Could it be that she was slightly harsh with him? And he had looked quite cute standing there earlier, looking at her like he really wanted to help…

Suddenly, as though shocked back to sanity, she shook her head briskly and set off down the corridor, leaving the thought hanging in the air behind her. Something was definitely changing – Lily just wasn't sure she approved.

* * *

**A/N:** Chapter ten! It's a milestone! Lol! I think you should all congratulate me with a lovely review telling me what you think! ;) I promise to reply to them all! 


	11. Taking your time

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the Harry Potter books or movies. That's all J.K Rowling's and Warner Brothers'

* * *

Once in a While

Chapter Eleven – Taking your time

James stood at the great door of the library, staring at the ornate carvings on the dark wood. Flowers and birds were entwined round each other, twisting and turning back and forth, delving deeper and deeper into the wood…

"James?"

James almost jumped a foot as the soft voice sounded behind him. He turned and saw Lily standing behind him, her arms crossed around a folder clutched to her chest. She smiled, almost shyly, and moved to stand next to him. James watched her head tip gently to one side as she also examined the door, her scarlet ponytail sliding across one shoulder.

"I've never looked at these before."

"Me neither," James watched her and couldn't help smiling, "It's quite something, right?"

Lily laughed and pushed the wood, causing the door to swing open with a groan. The two made their way across the space, Madame Pince watching them from behind her desk, stamping a book with unnecessary force for a helpless third year. James walked a step or two behind his companion, his eyes occasionally shifting downward, but flying back up whenever she glanced suspiciously over her shoulder.

"Here. This'll do." And she placed the folder down on a deserted table by the window. Sunlight streamed through the pane, lighting both their faces and making dapples on the worn wood. James placed himself opposite Lily and watched her take a piece of parchment out of the file.

"Okay…" she scanned it briefly, her stunning eyes flitting back and forth, "I have some things we need to organise… I thought we should get a professional photographer for the graduation ceremony and maybe the ball, but I wasn't sure about pricing."

James coughed and held up a separate piece of parchment, which he'd just taken from his bag. He had spent the previous night talking to the other three about the graduation, and had made his own list. He had even got up early this morning and owled a few people, and had received his replies just after lunch. He was determined to impress Lily, and so had thrown himself into this particular project head on. And when James put his mind on something, he usually got it.

Lily stared at the sheet, "What's that?"

"It's a list," He pushed it across the table towards her, "of prices, for a photographer."

Lils eyes widened as she scanned the paper, and when she looked up her lips were curving upwards in a smile, "How did you know we'd need a photographer?"

James shrugged, allowing himself to flash his familiar grin, "Great minds think alike I guess."

Lily smiled back and looked back down at the sheet, "Do you think we could get a discount if we hired him for both events?"

"Her. It's a she. And maybe, I'll ask if you like."

"That'd be great." She looked up at him and properly smiled then, "You know what James? You seem…" She broke off and shook her head, still smiling.

That smile tempted another from James, he couldn't help it, "I seem so what?"

"I don't know… different," she caught his eye again and laughed, "Good different, I mean!"

James laughed as well and turned back to the work, trying to suppress a blush creeping into his skin, not unlike the one she was currently wearing.

The next few hours shot past in a whirl of traded ideas and suggestions, quite a few of which were shot down very early on. James' idea of a kissing booth at the end of year ball for example, was immediately refused by Lily, and earned him a paper ball aimed at his head. The smiles and laughs exchanged increased as the light dimmed and before James knew it, Lily was standing up to leave.

"So I guess that's everything! We got a lot done!" There was a note of surprise in her tone, like she had been expecting something to have stopped them before they actually sorted anything.

"Yeah, we did okay!" Smiled James, gathering up the remaining pieces of parchment and then smiling up at her. She smiled back and then raised her hand slightly in an awkward gesture, "Thanks James. I had a nice time tonight."

"Me too." And he watched her walk off, a small smile playing on his lips. That had gone a lot better than he had expected…

* * *

James entered the dormitory at around seven, grinning stupidly as he took in the scene. Sirius was searching for something and had taken everything out of his trunk. All his clothes and possessions were strewn over James' bed. Remus was sitting on the floor, leaning against his bedpost and reading a book bound in blue leather while Peter chewed slowly on some sort of sweet. The door closed behind James with a clunk, and all three of the heads snapped up. Sirius' familiar perfect grin soon grew, and he yelled across at James. 

"So? How'd it go?"

"It. was. amazing." James threw himself down on Sirius' bed, seeing as his was already taken. "She was really impressed with the stuff I did last night. Course, she didn't say so, but I could tell. And then when we left she told me she'd had a really nice time! A nice time!" And he was grinning even more now, beaming through the happy fog that seemed to be clouding his brain.

"And then? Did you ask her out?" Sirius was eager for more information.

"No…" James' face suddenly registered complete panic as he sat bolt upright, "Should I have?"

"Yes!" shouted Sirius, and in complete unison, Remus yelled, "No!"

All heads turned to stare at the werewolf, who flushed pink and cleared his throat, "Prongs. Leave it a while longer."

"What?" Sirius laughed loudly, "Moony! Have you finally lost it? She said she had a good time – he's in!"

There was another laugh, and this time James joined in – giddy with his achievement.

"Come on then gentlemen," grinned Sirius, "To the kitchens! And lets grab some butterbeer on the way back – we can toast Prongs' success!"

Peter and Sirius both bounced out of the room, laughing about something Padfoot muttered, and James stood to follow. He had just reached the door, however, when Moony grabbed his elbow.

"Prongs! You're not going to ask her out again, are you?"

"Are you insane Moony? Course I am!"

"She'll say no."

"What?" James turned properly and stared at his dark-eyed friend. Moony still had a fresh scar running across the bridge of his nose, pink from the recent transformation.

"She'll say no. She doesn't know you well enough yet – she'll worry about you, you know, turning back to the old James."

"But I won't!"

"How does she know though? Seriously though, take your time with this."

James stared at him for a second, and the lowered his gaze, shaking his head and smiling slightly. Then he looked up again. "Fine! Alright! I won't ask her!" He narrowed his eyes, examining his best friend, "God Moony. How do you know so much?"

"I pay attention," grinned Remus, earning himself a light punch on the shoulder in reply.

Just then Sirius' head poked round the door, "You guys coming or not? Wormtail's already fallen through the portrait hole!"

James laughed and followed Padfoot out of the room, Remus on his heels.

* * *

**A/N:** I got an awesome response for the last chapter – thanks so much to everyone! I just hope I remembered to reply to everyone! Please review this chapter - I really like it, and I hope you lot do as well, even if it's a bit shorter than usual... 


	12. Confrontation

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the Harry Potter books or movies. That's all J.K Rowling's and Warner Brothers'

* * *

Once in a While

Chapter Twelve – Confrontation 

"You do! You like him!"

"Oh please! I'm more likely to fancy this piece of toast," Lily raised her breakfast over her head as she spoke, "than… oh. Hi James!" The hand holding the piece of toast went limp and the food tumbled onto the floor. Lily stared for a moment and then waved with the still raised hand, "How are you?"

James nodded seriously, "Not bad. And you?"

"Yes. Fine thank you."

As James turned his back on the group the girls burst unanimously into wild laughter, and as he rolled his eyes he definitely heard Lily groaning in embarrassment. James grinned to himself, and slipped into a seat next to Remus and opposite the other two. He reached for some sort of porridge thing and got caught up in a conversation about cloning spells. Sirius tried to make his point by doubling his breakfast several times, and then eating it all.

Halfway through the third plate, James looked up the table and felt his stomach lurch. Lily was staring absent-mindedly at him, gently tapping her spoon on the table while her friends chattered around her. She didn't seem to notice James was actually looking back, the distant look in her face not wavering until James waved at her, when she seemed to snap back to reality and flushed a deep scarlet. She turned swiftly back to her cereal and James felt a grin spread across his face as he himself turned back and re-entered the conversation.

"Yeah, well that's all very good and all. But it would mean we had two Snivellus' running round the place…"

All four boys shuddered and the idea was quickly abandoned. Actually, now James thought about it, he hadn't seen Snivellus in a while. Things were definitely looking up…

* * *

Potions lessons were, as we already experienced, not James' favourite lesson. As it was, he was sat in his usual seat at the back, head propped on one hand and staring blankly at Slughorn, who was explaining something with such enthusiasm James was worried he'd burst out his waistcoat… 

Trying to rid his mind of that horrible image, he glanced at Sirius, who was busy making his quill and knife dance the tango across their desk. The danger of this task didn't seem to be a factor in Sirius' mind, as the dancing became wilder and wilder and climaxed when the knife fell off the table. Sirius swore as it stabbed into his bag and sat there, quivering slightly and sending flashes of light across the room.

James gave a low chuckle and Sirius grinned at him, and before long there was a dance-off taking place on the back desk. Many of their classmates had turned to watch, and were silently egging on either the knife and quill, or James' scrap of parchment and stirring spoon.

"Potter! Black!"

The quill spun off the table and landed gently on the floor as James and Sirius both looked up, "Yes sir?"

"Did I disturb your activities?"

"Oh don't worry about it sir! Please," James waved his hand at his teacher, "carry on."

Slughorn looked confused and opened his mouth as if to speak, but evidently thought better of it and turned back to the board while Sirius cracked up silently behind him.

James joined in the laughter for a moment before plonking his head back on his hand and restarting his aimless staring. He ran his gaze from one side of the classroom to the other. Some students were immersed in their work, diligently copying down Slughorns latest diagram, while others occupied themselves with slightly less tedious tasks. Lily, of course, was bent over the desk. Her hair was loose today and reached just past her shoulders, curling gently under at the ends. Very pretty, in James' opinion.

Suddenly an idea hit James. A brilliant idea, if he said so himself. He reached for his quill and scrawled five words on a spare piece of parchment before scrunching it up into a small ball. He waited for Slughorn to turn back to his amazingly dull diagram before chucking it in Lily's direction. Being the most experienced chaser in the school, it wasn't a surprise that it was right on target. It bounced off the top of her head and plopped onto her desk.

The redhead turned angrily and glared round the classroom, her eyes landing on James. The boy nodded, eyebrows raised, and she had no choice but to turn back and flatten out the piece of parchment. Her eyes narrowed in confusion as she read the note, her lips sounding it out as though that might tempt some sense out of it.

_We should have a theme!_

She turned again and stared at James, scanning him for a second before mouthing, "What?" across the room.

"For the ball," mouthed James in reply, but only received another shake of the head. "The ball," he mouthed again, "The ball!"

"What?"

"THE BALL!"

The whole class turned and stared at James, who looked rather surprised at the volume of his voice. "Sorry guys."

Slughorn simply shook his head and turned back to the board, muttering under his breath while Lily giggled in James' direction. James waited for her to go back to her work before allowing his head to hit the desk with a thud.

* * *

After the lesson was over, James and Sirius stood by the door waiting for Lily to appear. Eventually she came out the room, flanked, as always, by a group of friends, all of whom burst into laughter as they saw James. Quite a few shoved Lily gently and earned themselves a withering look. The others took off up the corridor, glancing over their shoulders and laughing loudly as they disappeared. 

"What was that about?"

"Nothing," was that a flush on Lily's neck? "What was that note about?"

"We should have a theme!"

"Yes, I got that much thanks. For the ball, you mean?"

"Sure."

"Well," Lily pushed her hair out of her face, "what kind of theme?"

Sirius, who was standing at James' shoulder, took this opportunity to speak up, "Pirate theme!"

"No," said Lily.

Sirius looked put out, "Why not?"

"Because… that's weird!"

James and Sirius couldn't help but laugh at her flabbergasted expression, and she grinned sheepishly in reply, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Well," laughed Sirius, "I know where I'm not wanted! Prongs, remember what I told you, right?" He winked slyly.

"Right." And James watched Sirius stride out of sight, before turning back to look at his companions curious face.

"What did Sirius tell you?"

"Nothing. What were your friends laughing about?"

"Nothing." The two stared at each other for a split second before bursting into laughter.

After they had calmed down, they started to move along to the main corridor. "So what do you think of this theme idea?" Asked James, and Lily thought for a second.

"It could work. We'd have to think of a good theme, obviously, or no' one will join in. But if…"

"OI!"

James had spun on his heel and was glaring down the corridor they had just exited, his hand scrabbling on his back, where a large scorch mark had appeared, smouldering gently. He scanned the shadows with his sharp eyes, and then produced his wand from his robes and flicked it towards a particularly dark corner. There was a strangled cry and someone was fired into the light, staggering and swearing under their breath.

The boy was quite tall, about the same height as James, and his skin was so pale it almost seemed to glow in the badly lit space. His nose was hooked and his eyes stood out starkly in their pale surroundings, dark and angry.

"Snivellus," James lowered his wand, though his grip on it tightened, "What do you want?"

"I don't want anything from you, Potter," spat Snape, glowering angrily out from his curtains of greasy black hair. James felt his back muscles tense up but struggled to contain his temper, very aware of Lily's presence next to him.

"Come on," She muttered, gently gripping James' tense arm, "Lets go."

James forced himself to turn his back on his rival and felt his feet propel him away from the scene, although his gut instinct was to curse Snape into oblivion.

"That's it Potter," sneered the voice behind him, "Listen to the mudblood. Merlin knows she's smarter than you'll ever be."

James wrenched his arm back from Lily and strode angrily towards Snape, his wand raised threateningly and a curse already forming on his lips. He crossed the space quickly and backed Snape against the wall, where he cowered nervously.

"James!" Lily's angry voice dragged him back to sanity, and he blinked, looking down on the boy before him, and instead of the usual urge to inflict damage, he felt a stab of pity. The boy was pathetic, and quite clearly, not worth his time.

Breathing heavily, James pocketed the wand, which he had been clutching so hard his fingers had gone numb,and walked back to Lily in a swirl of robes. She grabbed his hand and pulled him away, sparing only a second to glare back at Snape, who was standing alone in the darkened corridor, watching them leave with expressionless eyes.

* * *

**A/N:** Thanks so much for all the reviews guys! I was so amazed by the great response I got! Lets try and beat it this time, right? I love you all - you're awesome! xx 


	13. Soaking wet

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the Harry Potter books or movies. That's all J.K Rowling's and Warner Brothers'

* * *

Once in a While

Chapter Thirteen – Soaking wet

Spring had crept up so slowly and gradually to Hogwarts castle that most of the inhabitants didn't realise it had arrived until it was too late. The bright green of the new buds had darkened and the weather had intensified into that of summer when the students first ventured outside, blinking in the new light and pulling off cloaks and jumpers in an attempt to cool down. There was an initial rush to grab spots in the vast grounds in which they could spend the remainder of the school year, the most popular being under the shady trees around the lake.

As the days passed, the weather seemed to sharpen into a full-blown summer, the sun beating down on the groups of students and causing the lake to steam slightly, conjuring a shimmering cloud a foot above its surface which seemed just magical enough to fit in with the school itself.

Sirius Black could be found sitting on the bank of the lake during one such day, his bare feet dangling in the cool water, a quill in his hand and a book spread across his knees. The NEWTS were suddenly barrelling towards the seventh years like the Hogwarts express, forcing even the most unlikely students into a world of textbooks and notes.

A voice echoed over the grounds, calling Sirius' name as if from a great distance,

"Sirius!"

The boy turned and shielded his eyes from the glare as James Potter made his way towards him, abandoning the group underneath the largest tree in favour of his best friend. The group consisted of a few female Ravenclaw's and Hufflepuff's, a couple of male students from Ravenclaw and, of course, Remus and Peter. The gathering was a loud one, constantly shouting with laughter or yelling insults at each other, and attracted a lot of longing glances from other students.

James moved next to Sirius, kicked off his own shoes and socks, and lowered his feet into the water. A sigh of relief escaped him as the colder temperatures of the lake took their effect, and he glanced at Sirius' book.

"What you studying?"

"Charms. Or I was." Sirius dumped the book and stretched like a cat, allowing the bones in his shoulder to pop and crack from the positions they had been welded into for the long hours of studying.

James grinned and kicked one leg, sending droplets of water flying through the air and back down to earth, when ripples spread gently across the once-still water. Sirius retaliated, the water flying even higher and catching the boys themselves, who laughed. A full-scale water fight followed, with both boys thrashing their legs in the water like they were five years old, creating a frothing mass beneath their ledge.

Eventually they collapsed onto their backs, exhausted and laughing, their legs still in the water,aching from all the activity and their black locks plastered to their foreheads in a mixture of sweat and water. Staring up at the periwinkle blue sky, Sirius allowed his laughter to die before speaking, "So what's going on with Evans?"

"I dunno. I mean," James heaved himself upright, "It's getting better, and she's talking to me now!"

Sirius chuckled, taking James' lead and pulling himself upright, "Well, that's a start."

"Yeah," grinned James, "And I caught her looking at me the other day, so maybe…" he trailed off, and there was a moment's silence, which Sirius took it on himself to break.

"You asked her out yet?"

"Not yet. I might soon."

"Cool. I really hope she says yes. She'd be stupid not to."

"Cheers Pads."

There was an awkward silence after this brief exchange, both of staring out into the water, seemingly oblivious to the shouts from behind them.

Remus had his hands cupped round his mouth and was yelling across the open space separating the tree and the lake.

"PADFOOT! PRONGS!" His hands fell to his sides and he sighed in frustration at the lack of response he received. A tall Ravenclaw boy, who went by the name of White, stood up next to him and muttered something in Remus' ear. The two boys grinned, and began to sneak towards the ringleaders of the gang...

James heard a faint rustle behind him and looked over his shoulder just in time to see Jake White run into him. He wobbled, lost his balance and crashed into the cold water. The crystal liquid closed over his head and the sunlight wavered above him before he propelled himself upward in one strong kick. His head broke the surface and the sound of laughter filled his ears as he spluttered, vaguely aware of what seemed to be half the school surrounding the lake as another head surfaced next to him.

"Shit!" cried both James and Sirius in unison, squinting up at Remus and Jake, who were clutching their sides in mirth at their friends wet, angry faces.

James and Sirius both scrabbled to the edge of the water, their feet slipping on the slimy bed as it shallowed out. They emerged, dripping miserably, on a small slope a few metres away from where they'd been sitting. Most of the students had lost interest, and only a few were still laughing, though they were silenced by one of James' stony looks. Both boys shivered, it was as if the day had suddenly got colder. But being pushed into a freezing lake will do that to a person.

The group from the tree, of course, were still sniggering happily as the two dark haired boys approached them, glowering angrily. Remus and Jake both received smacks round the head before both James and Sirius stomped towards the tree, although their mouths were working as they tried not to laugh at each others bedraggled appearance.

James and Sirius had just settled themselves down just out of the trees shade, hoping that the suns merciless rays would dry them, when they realised that the sky wasn't its stunning blue anymore, but an ominous grey. It had changed with such speed that they could have sworn it was magic, but more likely it was just nature playing its course. They had had their time in the sun, and now they must pay the consequences.

The boys exchanged fearful looks and, sure enough, something broke above them. A single raindrop, fat, round and reflecting the light of the day, fell and landed on Peter's textbook with a dull plop. Wormtail looked up and, with a sound that sounded like the sky tearing, the rain started.

It was the kind of rain which only appears after a series of particularly hot days, as if the clouds had stored it all up, decided on a time and dropped the entire lot in one space. The rain fell in angry streaks, crashing into the grounds so fast they were soaked within seconds, hitting students hard on their bare arms and legs and entering the lake in such a way that James and Sirius' fight earlier seemed feeble in comparison.

Girls were shrieking, covering their hair with anything close to hand, while boys laughed and kicked mud up behind them. People began to tear towards the castle, yelling and laughing as their feet pounded on the waterlogged land, causing puddles to rise wherever they trod.

James, who was already drenched from his encounter with the lake, did not appreciate this downpour. In fact, it seemed quite inconsiderate to him, a point that he pointed out to Sirius as they were swept along with the crowd. Sirius yelled back an agreement, and something to do with the weather god, but it went unheard by James, who had been pulled along by a very large group of very small students and was fighting not to be pulled under.

His only escape route was to grab hold of a random student's bag and allow himself to be pulled to safety. These third years may have been small, but there were a lot of them, and James didn't fancy his chances if he got knocked down by a rogue Slytherin. So he blindly reached out and latched himself onto a strap of a bag carried by a tall blonde boy. Thankfully the guy was strong, and James felt himself being pulled through the younger students.

"Hah! See you suckers!" He crowed as he exited the throng, hastily letting go of the bag before the guy noticed he had a stowaway.

James was now standing on the left of the doors which made up the entrance to Hogwarts castle, watching a never-ending line of frantic students rushing past him. The rain was pounding down so hard now it was hurting his head, and he didn't fancy waiting until everyone else had got inside, so he scanned the crowd for one of the guys heads. Sirius? Remus? He'd even settle for Peter! But there was nothing. No doubt they'd already got inside, and were drying themselves in front of the large common room fire…

James groaned in annoyance. He'd have to find someone else to run with. He couldn't do this himself, he'd be murdered. Squashed by hundreds of wet and muddy feet. No, it was definitely a two-man job. Or, quite possibly, a man-and-a-woman job…

"Lily!"

Lily looked to her left to catch sight of James starting to run alongside her. She was using a book to cover her head, although the ends had already turned a deep mahogany and were glistening with water. "Hey!" She laughed, "Great weather, eh?"

"The best!"

And the two literally fell through the great doors and into the entrance hall, spluttering and laughing as they were swept along with the tide of students.

Finally, with a lot of yelling at younger and shorter students, and a few muttered charms from James, the two freed themselves from the scrabble and watched as hundreds of wet Hogwarts students made their way, groaning and shivering, towards their common rooms. Then they turned and took a left, landing them in a corridor which was thankfully deserted. It was a longer route, but was clear of traffic, and so may even get them there quicker. Both were thankful for the knowledge of the castle that seven years had brought, although the enthusiasm each harboured for the loneliness of the corridor varied slightly.

"So how come you're so wet?"

"Um…" James glanced at her sideways, "It was raining?"

"Well, I was in the same rain, and I'm not as wet as you…"

"Oh! I… err… fell in the lake."

"Right," Lily didn't actually look all that surprised – perhaps she'd finally got used to James' strange ways. Or at least the ways of his friends. "Ugh. My hairs soaked. It's going to go all frizzy," she muttered, stopping for a second to run her fingers through her scarlet locks, eying them with distaste. James turned so he was facing her, and his gaze ran over her face, lingering on her hair before their eyes locked. Lily flushed slightly pink but raised her chin in defiance, daring him to agree with her.

"I don't know. I think you look very nice with wet hair." James grinned cheekily, his hazel eyes still boring into hers, before carrying on walking. He didn't notice that Lily was no longer at his side until an angry shout echoed from over his shoulder.

"Fine!"

James turned and saw Lily standing a few feet behind, looking slightly pink and very frustrated, "What?"

She took a deep breath, "I'll go out with you! There? Okay?"

James' head spun; had he even asked her? He couldn't quite remember. "Really?"

"Yes!" Lily stared at him, hands on hips and glowering angrily, while James' own face split into an ecstatic grin. Lily stared at him for a second longer, before dropping her arms and laughing slightly, her face turned slightly away. One hand came up to cover her face, as though she was embarrassed, though the smile was still firmly in place. "Oh god," she laughed, "My friends are going to murder me."

James laughed as well; he couldn't help it, "Really? I reckon mine will give me a medal!"

Happiness was coursing through his body like a fire, setting every nerve alight and warming him from inside, despite his soaked clothing. He walked closer to Lily and offered her an arm, which she took, still laughing. Small rivets of water soaked from his shirt through her fingers, but she didn't seem to mind.

"To the common room, lovely lady? I believe we will be able to check the next Hogsmeade visit once we arrive."

Lily tilted her head, the smile shrinking into a small quirk of the lips but her emerald eyes blazing with something James didn't recognise. "Lead the way."

And so, arm in arm and soaking wet, they made their way towards the common room.

* * *

**A/N:** And we finally have a date! Wow! And a long chapter! I hope people are proud! Thanks sooo much for the amazing reviews everyone – they make me so happy! And when I'm happy, I write more, so everybody wins! (Getting the hint yet?) X 


	14. Changing relationships

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the Harry Potter books or movies. That's all J.K Rowling's and Warner Brothers'

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Once in a while

Chapter Fourteen – Changing relationships 

As James and Lily entered the common room, something changed. Perhaps it was the sight of the head girl emerging from the portrait hole, followed swiftly by the head boy, who got so enthralled by her rear-end that he misjudged the drop and fell swiftly on his face, or perhaps it was the sudden gust of cool air which was let in with them. Either way, the volume in the room dropped significantly and more than a single pair of eyes swivelled in their direction. Then the rumours started, a dull hissing as words were exchanged between friends. It followed the pair as they bid goodbye and went to join their individual groups…

The three other marauders were sitting in their usual place, the huddle of chairs by the fire. Sirius was in an armchair, the book he'd been reading by the lake next to him. Peter was crossed-legged on the floor, and Remus was sprawled on the sofa. A small pile of chocolate frogs was on the coffee table, which they had presumably stolen from somewhere else in the room, and they were all slightly damp from the recent rain.

James approached, ignoring Peter's curious look over at Lily, and poked Remus to make him move, then threw himself down in the vacated space. He didn't land exactly on target though (perhaps his elation was affecting his co-ordination) and ended up mostly on Remus' legs, who cried out in disgust.

"Urgh! Get off! Get off! You're all wet and cold! Get off!" Remus kicked James off, causing him to slide onto the floor, feeling slightly hurt.

"Merlin," muttered Remus, "You're like a disgusting raw fish."

James stuck his tongue out at him like the mature young adult he was, while the other two laughed merrily. James grabbed one of the chocolate frogs before it was too late, and arranged himself more comfortably on the floor as he pondered the best way to tell them about his date with Lily.

Suddenly a piercing shriek came from across the room, and all four marauders turned to see a group of seventh year girls hurl themselves at Lily, smothering her in hugs. A few were laughing hysterically, and they were all beaming. All apart from Lily, who looked like she wanted the floor to swallow her up. Then they all looked over at James, who grinned and winked to raucous laughter. He looked round to see his best friends looking at him suspiciously.

"Okay Prongs," queried Sirius, "What's going on?"

James looked at him, a dopey smile spreading slowly across his face. "I got Lily to go out with me."

"What?"

"I got Lily to go out with me."

"You serious? You actually asked her?" Remus looked completely aghast, and Peter was staring at his with his mouth open.

James paused for a moment, pondering exactly how truthfully he should answer this question. "Erm… sure?"

Sirius was looking at James with a slightly stunned expression, and then, without a word, grabbed the charms book and opened it at a random page, apparently studying it intently.

"That's great Prongs!" smiled Remus from his perch on the sofa, while Peter nodded madly from his corner, apparently stunned out of speech, "Isn't it Sirius?" Remus' tone seemed slightly forceful when he questioned Sirius, thought James, and he was giving him a slightly funny look.

"Uh. Yeah. Great," Sirius looked up from his textbook, but the grin on his face seemed slightly… painted. And quite uncomfortable. Then Sirius' head bowed again and he was glaring at the book as if it had hurt him somehow, both physically and mentally. At the same time. James felt glad that the book was on the receiving end, and not him. But he decided to comment on it anyway.

"What's wrong with the book?"

"What? Nothing!" Sirius stood suddenly, allowing the heavy book to fall onto the floor with a crack. "Well, I'm off to bed. I bid you fine gentleman goodnight," He gave them a very theatrical bow, with plenty of twirling hand movements. The familiar gesture, however, seemed somewhat lacking in feeling, and as James watched his friend stride towards the dormitory, he couldn't help but notice the clenched fist. He turned to Remus and Peter, who were both watching Padfoot's retreating back with exasperated expressions.

"What's up with him?"

"I think he's a bit annoyed."

James stared at Peter, "Thanks Pete. I wouldn't have got that on my own. I mean, why is he annoyed?"

"Well, isn't it obvious?"

James resisted the urge to smack Peter upside the head. "Well, obviously not, otherwise I wouldn't be asking, would I?"

Peter slowly unwrapped a chocolate frog, folding the silver foil into a neat square as the piece of chocolate jumped onto the floor. Wormtail picked it up again and bit one of its legs off.

"You should take the head first," pointed out Remus.

"Why?"

"Because it's more humane."

James sensed that there was some subject-changing going on here, and wasn't about to let it slide. "Guys?"

"Yes?"

James glared at Peter's falsely innocent expression, "Don't make me sit on you too."

Remus gave a laugh, and then pulled himself into a sitting position, looking down at his friend. "James, do you have any idea about people? At all?" He sounded exasperated.

"No," replied James gloomily.

Remus groaned and grabbed a piece of chocolate off the coffee table, unwrapping it and biting off the head. He chewed thoughtfully for a moment, as if trying to find the simplest way of explaining this to James. "Do you remember that fight you guys had a while ago?"

"Sure."

"Well, it's kinda the same thing."

James stared for a moment, "Huh?"

"Come on James. If you're going out with Lily, then this 'good behaviour' thing is going to continue. She's not going to want you pranking anyone, is she? I reckon Padfoot thought you'd get over her, and then the two of you could go back to ruining you school careers."

James continued to stare at Remus for a moment, trying to get his head around what he'd just heard. Moony, however seemed to take his expression as one of disbelief. He shrugged and said, "Well, that's what I think. You don't have to take my word for it."

James looked over at Peter, who shifted uncomfortably, but said in a small voice, "I think he's right Prongs."

James thought. Maybe it made sense. But it seemed so stupid, so pathetic. Surely, Sirius wouldn't get annoyed with him, with Lily, because of what was going on. It's not like things would change between them… was it?

"_God Prongs! You're getting to be so bloody boring!"_

The words swum before James for a moment, and anger coursed through him. Why did Padfoot have to ruin everything?

Suddenly Lily's soft voice was speaking in his ear, "James. I've got to go; we'll work out Hogsmeade later, okay?"

James nodded and smiled at her as she waved goodbye, ignoring the catcalls from her friends and slipping up the girl's staircase. James was left behind, staring blankly after her with his mind working furiously. What was going on? A few minutes ago he's been on top of the world, and now… well. He groaned loudly and ran a hand through his hair in frustration.

What is Merlin's name was he going to do?

* * *

**A/N: **Hey everyone! I'm sorry not a lot happened in this chapter – it's not the most exciting thing that's ever happened, but it needed to be written. The next chapter should be soon, because I need to make up for a slow update this time, and I also have a lovely (ahem) case of tonsillitis, and writing seems to take my mind of it... I hope you guys liked it anyway, and, as usual, thanks for all my reviews - you're awesome! xxx 


	15. Between Friends

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the Harry Potter books or movies. That's all J.K Rowling's and Warner Brothers'

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Once in a while

Chapter Fifteen – Between friends 

As James awoke the next day he could hear the gentle, hollow noise of running water from the bathroom. He sat up in bed and was momentarily blinded by the sunlight streaming through a gap in his hangings. It was early, or he'd have been woken up by now. And he could hear the birds singing, so the others weren't awake yet. Squinting and rubbing his eyes, he allowed himself a second as his head slowly caught up on the day.

_I've got a date with Lily! And I fell in the lake... but I got a date! Excellent… _James stretched upwards, allowing his duvet to slip down as he collapsed backwards and prepared himself for an hour of lying in bed and doing absolutely nothing.

There was a motion somewhere outside and he heard the creaking of the closing bathroom door and dragging footsteps. A typical early morning start. Very early. Someone obviously wanted to get somewhere. _Probably Remus, _thought James dryly, _needing to get to the library. Why doesn't he just marry it and put us out of our misery?_

He almost laughed aloud, but a commotion from his left stopped him. That wasn't Remus' bed. Despite his initial impressions, it seemed that it was Sirius who was trying to pull a runner… Sirius. James' mind seemed to snap into overdrive and he threw the covers away, sticking his head out of the hangings.

"Padfoot?"

There was no answer except for the closing of the dormitory door as Sirius exited. James groaned and pushed the curtains properly open. His bare feet hit the floor and he stared at the door, his heart sinking. Not only was his best friend acting really weird, but he'd just lost his lie in. He sighed loudly, ruffled his hair, and walked towards the bathroom. He needed a hot shower.

* * *

The rest of the day passed in much the same way, with Sirius sitting as far away from James as he could. Most teachers seemed to welcome this, as it allowed them to actually conduct as class, but a few refused to see their seating plans disrupted. On the few occasions when they were forced to sit together, Sirius put on an air of forced happiness and good humour. One which James felt bound to repeat and imitate and which left them both exhausted after the hour was up. 

It was unsurprising then, that the evening found Remus, Sirius and Peter all settled round a table with James strangely absent. It was Quidditch practice which had called the head boy away, and the tradition which had been held since second year, which included the other three sitting in the stands and yelling helpful suggestions at their friend, had been broken in favour of homework and revision. Something Remus and Peter were more than slightly unhappy about...

"We should go down to the pitch," muttered Peter over the top of a particularly heavy Herbology book, while Remus made a grunt of agreement.

Sirius waved a hand distractedly, as though batting Peters' suggestion away, "I'm sure James will be perfectly fine without us. Besides," his voice dropped to such a low and bitter level the other two barely heard him, "I'm sure he'll find someone else to watch him."

Peter and Remus both gave audible sighs and the group collapsed into an uneasy silence, broken only by Sirius' rhythmic tapping on the desk.

"Shut up Pads." It was Remus who had spoken, his dark eyes watching Sirius with a tired expression. Sirius simply moved his hand to his knee and continued tapping, casting a challenging look at Remus, who rolled his eyes. Sirius was in a bad mood, and there was no point arguing with him, a fact he had learnt a long time ago.

A short crash heralded James' arrival as he stumbled through the portrait hole. It was amazing really, how someone with so much grace on a broom could lack it so much on the ground. James straightened up as if nothing had happened, and noticed the group. His eyes landed on Sirius and he hesitated for a moment before pulling himself up to his full height and moving towards them. He sat down opposite Sirius and, not looking at him, scanned the others work. "What you doing?"

"Potions," answered Remus wearily, "How was practice?"

"Alright. We broke a bat." James bent down to open his bag, still speaking and avoiding Sirius, "Why don't you just take bits from each book and shove them together?"

"Because that's cheating," replied Peter, and Sirius rolled his eyes.

"I told them to just switch the sentences around on Snivellus' essay. I bet I could get hold of it."

"And that is also cheating," pointed out Remus, pointing his quill threateningly at Sirius, who collapsed into silence, which was held for one tension-filled moment.

"I still think you should copy from the books." James reached up to run his hands through his hair, but stopped as Sirius snapped at him.

"Why don't we use my idea?"

James lowered his hand, confusion first showing on his features, though it quickly was erased and replaced with irritation. "Because your idea's stupid."

Sirius simply crossed his arms and glared at James, who stared right back with equalling anger. Remus and Peter were trying their best not to notice and carried on as normal, but there was no denying the temperature around the table seemed to have dropped by several degrees. Therefore, it should have been a relief when they were joined by a fifth person.

"Hey guys." Lily slipped into a chair next to James. It was slightly strange turn of events, seeing that Lily had never spoken to the marauders as a group, but no' one commented. On the contrary, they all smiled and murmured greetings to the redhead while James smiled widely at her. One person however, wasn't so accommodating.

"Evans." growled Sirius from opposite, and Lily looked across to see him glaring at her from his slumped position. She looked slightly taken aback at such a frosty reception, but took it in her stride.

"Sirius. How are you?"

The only reply she got however, was a quick exhalation of breath which sent a lock of Sirius' black hair flipping upwards. Sirius' grey eyes stayed cold as he scanned the common room, deliberately ignoring the couple opposite. Then he suddenly stood, sending the chair screeching backwards, and strode across the room towards a couple of sixth year girls. He didn't look back, but was obviously aware of their looks, as his back was straight and tense under his shirt.

"What's wrong with Black?" Lily seemed slightly insulted as she turned to James. The familiar scowl was beginning to etch on her forehead as James struggled, once again, for an excuse.

"Um… his dog died. Snuffles. Snuffles the dog"

Lily blinked, and James opened his mouth to elaborate. Remus however, gave him a swift kick in the shin, and thankfully the head boy got the message.

"Anyway…" Lily glanced suspiciously round at the smiling boys before focusing in on James, "the next Hogsmeade visit's this weekend."

"Excellent!" James hesitated, "We're going together right?"

Lily laughed and nodded her head, allowing one flaming strand of hair to fall from behind her ear and bounce in front of one eye. James had a sudden urge to smooth it back, but figured that that might be overstepping the line. He wasn't about to mess this up. Sirius, on the other hand…

Banishing all thoughts of his friend from his mind, James cast around for something to say, "So how about I meet you in the Great Hall after breakfast?"

"Sure." Lily pushed the strand of hair off her face and leaned closer to James, who felt his stomach twist, until he realised she was examining the two lines of his essay. "Is this the potions thing?"

"Yeah." James' voice came out slightly hoarse, and he found himself breathing in very deeply. She smelled of vanilla.

"I still need to finish that. Mind if I join you guys?"

"Go ahead," and James motioned towards the pile of books in the centre of the table. Lily smiled and scanned them before selecting one, producing a short passage of writing and a quill and ink from her bag, and opening it to the contents page.

As she bent her head to scan the book James saw Sirius standing behind her. He was in the centre of a group of girls, which seemed to have gathered around him in the few minutes Lily had been present and were smiling and flicking their hair. Sirius said something, his famous smile in place, and the group collapsed into giggles.

Sirius glanced in James' direction and his smile faltered. He said something else and there was a lot of hurried nodding, before the whole group moved towards the portrait hole. Sirius was leading the way, his arm looped around a brunette's waist. James watched him, but Sirius stared resolutely away from him as they passed. A strange ball of anger began to clench in his stomach as he watched the tall boy walk away. Was he determined to ruin everything?

As they exited James' gaze travelled to Lily, who was lazily writing next to him, one hand propping up her head and her nose wrinkled in thought. The knot in his stomach loosened slightly and he went back to his own work, though he stabbed at the page with slightly more violence than usual.

* * *

**A/N:** Sorry for the slow update everyone. My internet connection was determined to make updating impossible until today... what's the point in computers that don't work? Lol! Anyway, what did you think? Please review - we're nearing 100! x 


	16. Blood flavoured Lollypops

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the Harry Potter books or movies. That's all J.K Rowling's and Warner Brothers'

* * *

Once in a While

Chapter 16 – Blood flavoured Lollypops

The great hall was, as usual, filled with the crash and clatter of a Hogwarts breakfast. Saturday morning had come with a grey and cloudy sky, one which contained the heat and threw it at the ground over and over again until it was pressing onto everyone present like an invisible force. The threat of another rainfall was also evident through the damp smell in the air and many students had umbrellas contained in various bags and pockets, though no' one intended on staying inside. It was the day of the Hogsmeade visit, and half the school already knew that it was the day of James Potter's and Lily Evans' first date. The other half were guaranteed to know by lunchtime.

The boy in question could be found sitting with his usual group of friends in the middle of the table, wearing jeans and T-Shirt and steadily munching his way through a tower of toast. He was being unnaturally quiet. Occasionally his hazel eyes would flick up and down the table as if looking for someone, but mostly they were fixed on his food. He only made occasional input to the stilted conversation between Peter and Remus, and the only other noise that escaped him was the harsh squeaking noise as a crumb went down the wrong way.

Finally, he threw back some pumpkin juice, brushed off his hands and stood up. James peered round the hall, not bothering to move as several fifth years attempted to push past him to reach the doors, and felt his breath catch as he found what he was looking for. The Head girl was sitting with a large group of friends, all of whom seemed to be badgering her about something as she blushed prettily. Her hair was twisted up off her neck in a messy bun, and she wore a black T-shirt over dark jeans. James quickly sat back down.

"What are you doing?" asked Remus.

"Evans is over there."

Remus stared at James for a second, before glancing at an equally bemused Peter, who just shrugged. Meanwhile, James took a deep, shuddering breath and forced himself back to his feet. Letting the air hiss through his nostrils, he turned and moved down the gap between the tables towards Lily. A few people turned to watch his progress as he neared the girls, feeling his stomach twist as Lily turned towards him after a nudge from her friend. James thought he'd throw up his toast with all this stomach turning going on, but it didn't show as he grinned cheekily at her.

"Hey Evans! Wanna go out with me?"

Lily's lips twitched and she tipped her head on one side for a moment, "Yeah, okay."

She stood, took one last sip of juice and grabbed her bag before she fell into step beside James, grinning as they made their way to the gigantic wooden doors and seemingly unaware of the thousands of eyes following them. They reached the door and James motioned her through, flashing a grin back at his best friends as she did so. His gaze momentarily sought out Sirius Black, only to be informed he was absent, but then he followed Lily through the door and out to the village of Hogsmeade.

* * *

"So where'd you want to go?" 

Lily looked around the small shops that made up Hogsmeade. It was a nice village made up of small, old cottages with colourful windows. Umbrellas were up outside the cafes, despite the lack of sunshine, and the doors and windows were thrown open. The sticky heat seemed to shiver in front of her eyes as she looked around. "I don't know… Honeydukes?"

James nodded, "Good idea. I need to build up my strength."

"You ate like, five minutes ago!" Lily stared as James shrugged and grinned before sloping off. She shook her head with a small smile on her lips before jogging to catch up. The few students that had beaten them into the village glanced at them out of the corners of their eyes as they passed but once again, the couple seemed to be oblivious. Seemed to be.

"Do you notice everyone's staring at us?" hissed Lily out of the corner of her mouth. Two spots near her ears had turned slightly pink.

"They are?" James turned and scanned the student's faces, though they had all turned away. He carried on walking backwards for a moment and then turned back when he saw no' one. "Probably my amazing good looks!" he grinned, running a hand through his hair. "And, of course, because of the gorgeous witch I happen to be with." Lily flushed even more but rolled her eyes.

"You look like you've been electrocuted."

"What-octued?"

"Electrocuted. You know, with electricity?" James blinked at Lily for a second, one eyebrow raised, and she shook her head in submission. "Never mind. Just flatten your hair."

James grinned at her and pushed down on the top of his head for a moment. When he raised his palm however, the tufts just stood back up like a badly made jack-in-the box. "Better?"

"Not really." James pouted and Lily laughed as she pushed open the door for Honeydukes. A bell rang somewhere in the distance and the shop assistant at the desk glanced up at the two new arrivals. His eyes narrowed in dislike as he saw James, who just grinned and waved at him. The balding man waved his quill at James in a way that suggested he had better behave himself before turning back to his daily prophet crossword.

Lily had seen this and giggled slightly, "He's doing that crossword? They're really hard!"

"Pad… Sirius can do them. He's obsessed." James moved towards a large display of multicoloured balls which were pulsing slightly and eyed them suspiciously. They were the size of gobstones and as James bent to examine them, a blue one flew up and smacked him between the eyes, leaving a periwinkle smudge.

The two spent a good hour immersed in Honeydukes, examining sweets and, when no' one was looking, helping themselves to a few 'testers'. Occasionally they would discover something, and James spent a good five minutes badgering Lily to try a blood-flavoured lolly, which she eventually did. James then spent the next five minutes groaning and shuddering in disgust as she tried to describe the taste.

"It's like strawberries!"

"Oh I'm sure!"

"Fine, not strawberries... chicken! It's like chicken!" They were out the shop now, each clutching identical paper bags bulging with colourful treats. Lily reached into her own bag and pulled out the scarlet lolly.

"You brought it?" James pulled a face, "You cannibal."

"Well, you have to taste it now."

"Oh no!" James backed off as she waved the sweet under his nose, making little tutting noises like one would with a stubborn cat. "Get it away from me!"

"Come on Potter!"

"No!" James fell backwards, holding his hands out to Lily as if to ward her off and screaming dramatically, "I have morals damn it! I have morals!" James took off down the street, still clutching his bag of sweets and with Lily hot on his heels, yelling at him not to be such a girl while her hair began to fall down from its bun and flew round her face. She followed him down the main street, weaving in and out of laughing students and stopping only far a second to apologise to a friend she'd knocked over before dashing off again, her bag banging against her waist.

Eventually they were out of the main village and into the small green area surrounding it. Lily was sure she was catching up to James, though probably because he had slowed down rather than her speeding up, as his legs were a lot longer than hers. She skidded to a stop in a small clearing surrounded by trees and glanced around. The grass was yellow and dry from the lack of rain in the last week, and the trees themselves seemed to be wilting, though still no sun was shining between the broad leaves. The light which did find her was seeping in lazily through a large gap between two trees, as if it itself was attempting to find some cool relief in the shady patch. But where was James?

Suddenly there was a war cry from behind her, and a young man leaped from behind a nearby tree. James pounced on her and snatched the lolly from her limp hand, holding it above his head like a trophy.

"Thank you ladies and gentleman!" He grinned down at her, "Now I, and I alone, have control over the blood flavoured lolly. I know you're upset Evans but please try and contain yourself."

"Contain myself my arse!" laughed Lily, who had recovered from having the life scared out of her, "Give it back!" She moved into him and stood on tiptoes to try and reach the lolly, which was being held calmly above his messy head. But no matter how high she stretched or jumped, he was always taller.

"Now now Lily. You need to calm down," tutted the head boy, shaking his head slowly, though mirth was written across his features. Lily fell back onto her feet, glaring up at him with slight amusement, though that seemed to vanish when she realised how close they actually where. She could see the flecks of green in his brown eyes, and the few stray freckles across his nose, tempted out by the recent sunshine.

James himself felt his mouth go dry as he looked into those emerald orbs. His heart was pounding his ears and his stomach was dancing around his throat, causing a tickling sensation right through him. Single strands of red were dancing in front of his eyes as they escaped from the bun, and patches of dark green shadow made their way across her milky skin as the sun fought against the leafy canopy. James was vaguely aware of a closing space between them as he leaned forward, but the tickling sensation in his body had concentrated itself in his nose in a horribly familiar way…

James sneezed. He pulled his head back when they were barely a centimetre away and let out a sound that reminded Lily of a mewing kitten, short and high-pitched. Not very manly at all really. He clenched his eyes shut, either in disappointment or to contain another sneeze, and left her standing with her eyes half open. Lily drew back and stared at him in shock for a moment until James recovered and looked back at down her. "What?"

Lily's mouth twitched and she continued to stare at him in slight confusion, "What was that? A sneeze?"

"Yeah." James' stomach was twisting madly from what had just happened.

Lily gave a shout of laughter. "That was pathetic!"

"Oh shut up." But James was grinning as Lily laughed at him. He couldn't help but register the sinking sensation in his stomach though. The moment was almost definitely gone. And even if he did steal her sweets again, he doubted he'd get the same reaction.

"Oh! Look! James!" Lily had moved across the space between the trees and was peering through the branches. James took a moment to admire her silhouette, and the way her hair lit up against the dull light, before making his way to her side. Peering through the gap, he saw the shack imprinted in black against the grey and threatening sky.

"It's a nice house isn't it? Pity it's in such a state."

James didn't know what to say to that. He couldn't really say the shack was a 'nice house'. Not with what happened to Moony there every month. The very idea made his stomach lurch uncomfortably out of sympathy for his friend. Thankfully, Lily didn't seem to notice his silence, or if she did she took it as agreement.

"It's haunted isn't it? I heard from that guy in Zonkos that they can hear screams. But he said they'd stopped a bit in the last couple of years." Lily crossed her arms on the small, crumbling fence which separated them from the house and laid her chin on it, gazing across thoughtfully. James looked down at her and wondered what she really thought about the so called 'ghosts', whether she, or anyone else, had a clue that it was their classmate who had scared so many people…

And suddenly, for the second time in a week, the heavens finally opened, emptying their considerable load onto the earth below. James and Lily both yelled as the rain hit them in one freezing sheet, soaking them to the bone, and they ducked into the shaded area. The trees, which seemed to be welcoming the downpour more than them, their leaves shaking in anticipation, protected them from the worst of the rain, thougha few stray drops found their way through and down James' neck. He sighed and looked down at Lily, "You bring an umbrella?"

"Of course. You see, I have some initiative."Grinning,she reached into her shoulder bag and pulled out a stripy umbrella. She opened it, nearly catching James round the head and smiling to herself as she raised it up. The colourful canopy cast them into shadow as James took the handle from her and smiled as she looked surprised at his manners. Then they made their way back towards the castle, the rain clamouring on the material and encasing them as they laughed and joked together in their own little world .

* * *

**A/N:** I'm so sorry for the wait everyone! I really, really am! I've had a load of exams you see, so I've been a bit distracted. They're over now, so it's all good, and I should be able to get back into the writing/updating mood! And while I remember, this chapter was dedicated to **BananaStrawberrySwirl**, who was my 100th reviewer – thanks a lot hun! x 


	17. Meanwhile

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the Harry Potter books or movies. That's all J.K Rowling's and Warner Brothers'

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Once in a while

Chapter Seventeen – Meanwhile 

There were many lanes which wound their way around Hogsmeade, small, dirt-trodden ones, hidden underneath layers upon layers of leaves sprouting from the tall trees. Somewhere, the trees changed, turned darker, more threatening. This was the beginning of the forbidden forest, where a crackle of magic was ever present and protected the school and its pupils. It was down one of these lanes which James and Lily had run, and it was down another that a different, but not unfamiliar, boy could be seen at the same time, walking alone with his head bowed and his eyes glazed over…

Sirius wandered down the lane, feeling the crackle of dry grass under his shoes and staring glumly ahead. A young couple were laughing a few metres away, their arms round each other and heads pulled close together. The man must have been only a few years older than him. He could be out at a bar. Having fun, rather than being stuck with her. Though it did look as if he was enjoying himself…

He wasn't jealous of them. Or, at least, he didn't think so. He could have gone to Hogsmeade with any girl he'd wanted - it wasn't as if he was short on choice or anything. But he'd ended up going alone, not even attaching himself onto Remus or another group of seventh years. He wanted to be by himself, to sort out his head. Because, even if he didn't want to admit it, a fistful of guilt had formed in the base of his stomach. A small puddle of doubt which seemed to double in size every time he considered his current situation.

Sirius sighed loudly, half hoping that the couple would turn around. It would have been quite amusing to see the guy suspended by his ankle while his girlfriend pranced below. At least it would take his mind off James and Evans for a moment. He reached into his pocket and fingered his wand thoughtfully, before deciding against it. Like a lot of things, it was no fun pranking people when you were on your own.

He missed Prongs. That was the horribly simple truth. The one he wouldn't admit to anyone. It had been a few days, the longest they had ever gone without talking, and it was taking its toll. He was feeling cranky and had landed himself at least three detentions for randomly hexing people in the corridors. Sometimes he thought it would be easier to just apologise, and try and adjust to the new set of priorities James had formed. But then he'd see him and Evans together, outside a lesson or at a meal, and his stomach would contract with annoyance. He was jealous, he realised, but not of their relationship. Of Evans, and her hold on his best friend. She'd taken James away from him and turned him into someone who was rule-abiding, mature, even polite! That wasn't Prongs! He could count on one hand the number of times he'd thanked anyone before that stupid girl came along!

Sirius thrashed out at a nearby tree, cursing loudly as his foot made contact and the stump shuddered in shock, like a small but grumpy old man. The resulting noise made the couple in front turn around. They stared at him with confusion on their faces, mixed with the slight annoyance at their lovely, peaceful walk in the wood being ruined by some swearing youth. Sirius glared steadily back, the effect ruined somewhat by the hopping and toe-clutching, but nevertheless effective, as the two bowed their heads back together and continued along their way.

"Shit," muttered Sirius under his breath. His foot throbbed uncomfortably and, giving up the fight to stay upright, Sirius threw himself onto the dry and dusty ground, massaging his foot and swearing under his breath. He always seemed to be in a bad mood at the moment.

Suddenly something landed on his skull with a hard and sharp crack. He felt the collapse as it broke and a soft warm something began to seep onto his hair. Sirius felt a flash of panic, his mind already racing through the countless possibilities, from the countless spells and curses it could be, to a bird relieving itself in a branch above. That was, until a strangely familiar scent reached him. The smell of rotten eggs mixed with vomit and excrement. Sirius' nostrils flared in protest. A dungbomb. No mistaking it -and he would know.

There was a sound behind him, a movement magnified by the hard earth, and he whipped round, still crouched on the floor but heaving himself into an almost standing position. Then his foot was yanked from under him and he flipped over. The black tips of his hair brushed the floor below, sending dust flying into his face as he screwed his eyes closed, rather than seeing the dry ground fly up to meet him. Then he was hovering upside-down as if held by an invisible rope. He could even feel the tight hold round his ankle, cutting off the blood supply and causing it to tingle.

"Oi! Let me down you arsehole! Or I'll hang you by something more painful than your ankle!"

There was a chuckle from somewhere below him,but he was rotating, being spun like a top in the air, so he couldn't see his attacker. Then there was a second swish from a wand, and he fell back to earth, landing with a crash on the grassy bank next to the path. The grass softened the fall, but he still felt a dull ache in his backside as he looked sullenly up into two horribly familiar faces.

"Moony! Merlin! Are you trying to kill me?"

"Yes," said Remus seriously, "I thought 'Screw the whole werewolf thing. If I'm gonna kill Sirius, the best way would almost certainly involve a dungbomb. And a hex."

"Oh ha ha," grumbled Sirius, allowing Remus to grab his hand and pull him to his feet, "You better be careful Lupin, or my sides may split." But he was grinning as the three boys continued back towards school. The moved in a comfortable silence, Peter taking two small steps to one of Remus and Sirius' strides. The only sounds that fell between them were the gentle chewing noises as Remus made his way through a yellow sugar quill. Sirius looked sideways and saw Remus take the quill from his mouth and examine it carefully, as if he was considering what to think of it.

Sirius sighed, "You're gonna say something aren't you?"

Remus looked up, "No."

"Yes you were. Go on Moony, out with it."

"Well… I was just thinking about this Prongs thing."

Sirius groaned. "Come on Remus, give me a break." They had left the old dirt path now, and had joined the many Hogwarts students on the paved path leading to the main gates. Sirius kicked a stone, watching it bounce along the stones with a disgruntled expression. A few girls glanced in his direction, obviously not minding this new, moody version of Sirius as they giggled and flushed.

Far from enjoying the attention, Sirius glowered at them through the black hair covering his grey eyes.

"I don't see," Peter mused quietly, "what you're so annoyed about. You knew James liked Lily Evans for ages. Everyone knew."

Sirius took so long replying that Peter began to think he hadn't heard him. When he did answer however, his voice was low. "Yeah, I knew. But..." his voice began to climb, both in emotion and volume, "I didn't think it'd actually happen! She hated him! I mean, come on, neither of you two really believed they'd get together, did you?" The others looked at each other uneasily. "Exactly! Don't you see what's gonna happen?"

"Padfoot!" hissed Remus, "Shut up!"

Sirius dropped his voice, "She's gonna change him. Mould him into some smart-arse teachers pet! Then what'll happen to us, eh? How can we still be marauders with only the three of us?"

There was nothing either of them could say to that. So they just carried on walking, doubts twisting and growing in the back of their heads. Until Peter spoke, his voice heavy with confusion. "Surely if Prongs was gonna leave, he'd have done so when he found out about you Moony."

This was a good example of why Peter was a member of the group. He had moments when he'd come out with something, however inconsequential it may seem to him, which would bring things the others hadn't considered to light. And there was no denying him this time. He was right. James had always been a constant in the group. He'd been the one who'd argued the others into accepting Remus when they'd found out about his 'furry little problem'. It had been him who'd kept the four teenage boys from falling out and growing apart as so many friendships did in the adolescent years. It seemed very unlikely that he would abandon them for a girl. Any girl. Even Lily Evans.

Sirius was saved from answering however, when the heavens opened and the rain fell. He joined the crowds hurrying to the open doors and the shelter of the school, and pretended to forget what Peter had said. But it was no use. The guilt in his stomach had grown, intensified to an almost unbearable point as it lurched and twisted inside him.

He sighed. Excellent. Now he'd have to apologise, something he'd never been good at. Stupid Wormtail. Why was he so annoying? He just did it to annoy him.

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**A/N:** Ah Sirius! How we missed you! Lol! Thanks to all my gorgeous reviewers – I love you all! Don't abandon me now! xxx 


	18. Nothing like racing

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the Harry Potter books or movies. That's all J.K Rowling's and Warner Brothers'

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Once in a While

Chapter Eighteen – Nothing like racing

The next morning dawned bright and early for the boys. Well, not that early. James woke to the sound of a group of students clattering down the staircase outside the dormitory door. Groaning in annoyance, he pulled the covers aside and pushed back the hangings, quite prepared to give them a piece of his mind.

He stopped however, when the sight of Sirius Black, who was sitting crossed-legged on bed with an old scrap of paper spread out in front of him, met his eyes. Usually this wouldn't have been such a surprise, but Padfoot had taken to leaving the room early and arriving at breakfast late in order to avoid James. This was a step forward. Or at least James hoped it was forward.

"Hey." Sirius broke James' contemplation, speaking without moving his gaze from the parchment. James swung his feet over the edge of his bed, shivering as they left the warm confines of his duvet and hit the cold stone floor. Then he made his way across the small space until he was standing over Sirius.

The marauders map was taking up a large amount of space. As they watched in silence, various dots began to stir and spread across the 2D castle, leaving the boxes of the dormitories. James almost smiled remembering their attempts to plot those rooms, sneaking into the various common rooms in all manner of disguises. Peter's animagus form had proved itself exceptionally valuable during those excursions…

Sirius cleared his throat, and James realised for the first time that the silence between them had grown uncomfortable. That made him sad – they had never had that before. Arguably, there hadn't been many silences long enough to become uncomfortable… but what had changed? The answer was obvious. Lily.

As though reading his mind, Sirius' finger came out and pressed against the girls' dorm, landing on the small dot entitled Lily Evans. "There she is." They watched in silence as she moved around the room, disappearing briefly into the bathroom.

"I've been an arse, haven't I?" muttered Sirius.

The question took James by surprise, but he allowed himself a small smile, "Only a little bit."

Sirius nodded gravely for a second, still following Lily's progress round her dormitory. Then he glanced up at James, his grey eyes troubled. "Sorry mate. I just…" he trailed off for a moment, glancing awkwardly over at Remus and Peter's motionless forms, "I thought she was gonna replace us. You know?"

James looked at him, running a hand through his black hair as he always did when he was embarrassed. This caused his bed-head to worsen and gave the impression of a black hedgehog perched on the top of his skull. "She wouldn't."

"Yeah. I know." Sirius looked back at him, a small apologetic smile on his face. Understanding flashed between them and James smiled back. Relief seemed to flood Sirius' features and he looked quickly back towards the map. Then he gave a sudden bark of laughter that made James start and jump almost a foot in the air. Padfoot looked at him in amusement.

"Jumpy little fellow aren't you Prongs?"

"Shut up. What's so funny?"

"Well, I think it's a tie between Snape visiting a shower, " he motioned to the map, "and your little jumping act. They were both quite amusing… you're sure you're not part Billywig?"

"Prat," groaned James, shoving Sirius in his side and causing him to topple off the bed. The resulting crash, swear and roar of laughter made both Peter and Remus wake with a start, then stare at them as if they were mad. Though James swore they each looked slightly relieved.

After a lot of arguments over the bathroom, the four boys could be found making their way down to breakfast, laughing and joking with even more energy than normal, and definitely more energy than should be allowed on a Sunday morning. This was mostly true of Sirius, who was practically skipping down the wide corridor, stopping only occasionally to trip up a random Slytherin or to yell at the others to hurry up. James was just telling Sirius where exactly he could hurry to, when a familiar voice caught up with him.

"James!"

He turned, ignoring Sirius' rolling eyes, and smiled happily as Lily approached. "Hey."

"Hi," Lily tilted her head on one side and looked at him seriously, as if he'd done something wrong.

"What?"

She groaned and shook her head in disbelief, "Are you going to ask me out again?"

"Nyah?" James seemed to have lost the ability to speak normally. He'd completely forgotten! Surely he would have asked her when they'd bid farewell in the common room? He was sure he had! "Haven't I already?"

"Um… no."

"Oh."

Lily nodded, egging him on with a particularly pretty smile. James coughed and then smiled back charmingly, "Would you like to go out again Lily?"

The smile grew on her face, but she shrugged indifferently, "Sure, why not?"

Then she laughed, her eyes lighting up, stood on tiptoe and kissed James on the lips. A short zap shot right though him at the feeling of her warm lips on his, and he didn't even react straight away - just stood there with his eyes wide and shocked. It was remarkably quick and fleeting, and he couldn't be sure it really happened until he heard Sirius' catcall ripping through the corridor to the laughter of the passing crowd. Lily drew back, still smiling but blushing furiously. Then, avoiding his gaze, she moved past him to meet her friends, who were giggling furiously and swarmed round her like bees to a honey pot.

Still standing stock still, James raised a hand briefly to his mouth while his brain scrabbled to catch up with recent events. Lily Evans had kissed him. James Potter. Lily Evans had kissed him. James twisted and looked over his shoulder at her retreating back, the all-too familiar wonky grin already firmly in place. This was shaping up to be the best day ever. They should celebrate. He caught Sirius' eye and received a grin, before his best friend bounced into a nearby classroom. James followed curiously, stepping over the threshold before his eyes lit up.

"Excellent," he muttered,and rushed over to help.

* * *

Minerva McGonagall was making her way from the staff room to her classroom with her arms full of papers and a frown on her face. Her seventh year class' work was really abysmal, how on earth could they expect to pass their NEWT, which was only a few weeks away, when they couldn't even write a simple essay? Of course, Black's and Potter's homework's had been missing again, she honestly didn't know what to do with… 

Suddenly something rushed past her, a mere blur in the corner of her eye but enough to make her start and send the papers crashing to the floor. Angrily, she produced her wand and made a sweeping motion, catching the pieces of work as they flew back into her arms. Then she grumpily turned and made her way in the direction the blur had propelled itself.

As she neared the main corridor, the sounds of yells and laughter reached her ears and she quickened her step before finding her way barred by a large group of teenagers, all of whom were laughing and cheering at something that had apparently just rushed round the corner. The teacher sighed and adjusted her grip on her burden as she waited, with mounting curiosity for whatever had caused such a large group. Though the sight of little Peter Pettigrew and Remus Lupin clutching a cloak at both ends and holding it across the width of the hallway like a rope, all the time roaring with laughter, did little to reassure her.

Sure enough, a few minutes passed and just as the raucous was calming down, two shapes came whipping round the far corner, after completing what must have been a complete circuit of the second floor. At first glance they seemed to be strange creatures, slightly resembling centaurs but without any of the grace or elegance such creatures processed. But closer inspection revealed, to the fury of Minerva, two students sitting proudly atop a couple of desks which had been charmed to move, their legs bending in the middle like stiff wooden knees. The table legs were working furiously as the pieces of furniture bolted towards the crowd, and the teacher didn't need them to slow in order to guess who was riding them. A low growl vibrated in her throat.

James Potter and Sirius Black were sitting happily on the desks, their legs folded neatly underneath them and their hands clutching the sides so hard their knuckles were white. They were both yelling loudly, urging their steeds on as they neared the line. McGonagall distinctly heard Potter call his desk a 'useless, worm-eaten piece of wood', and it seemed to work as the desk drew slightly in front of Blacks, to his obvious dismay. The obscenities were flying freely as the two boys drew level with their head of house, and she considered freezing the desks. Before she could act, however, they had collided with the cloak held by the other two.

Potter crossed first, the cloak catching him round the middle and effectively holding him back while the desk carried right on running, passing underneath the material. There was a shout of laughter as James hung there for a second, his eyes widening as he felt the desk slip from beneath him and then plummeted into Black, who had not had the time to swerve out the way. Potter slammed into Sirius and the two flew backwards off the desk, hitting the floor with a bang. Potter's fall was softened somewhat by his best friend, whose stomach he had managed to find himself resting on and who was now swearing a blue streak.

The crowd erupted into cheers and laughter. People motioned to pull Remus and Peter, who had fallen down when their finishing line had been tugged away, to their feet and Minerva could have sworn she saw money being exchanged. The two boys in the centre of it all lay on the floor, still complaining through the forest of legs which had swarmed round them.

"What on earth is going on here?" Roared an all-too-familiar voice. The laughter died almost immediately and the crowd parted like the red sea, allowing their teacher to step through and stand in front of Sirius and James. There was a heavy silence, the kind which fell when people knew they were really in trouble, and were waiting for the yelling to start. The only sound left were the moans of pain from James, who was still lying on the floor. Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on your point of view, Black was known from having a very high pain threshold and seemed unhurt. Or at least not enough to prevent him answering the question.

"Oh, hello Professor!" chirped Sirius' voice from underneath James, before pushing him aside roughly and beaming up at her. James' head banged on the floor and he swore loudly. Upon hearing this, Sirius' head whipped round and he kicked James hard in the small of the back, obviously wanting to keep their punishments down to a minimum. James swore again and rolled onto his stomach.

"Bloody hell Sirius! What the…" James' angry eyes landed on McGonagall's shoes and his gaze travelled slowly upwards until he was looking up her nose. He swallowed visibly and pulled his handsome grin into place before propping himself up on his elbow. "Hey Professor McGonagall! You're looking particularly ravishing this morning!"

The teacher seemed at a lost for words for a second, before stuttering back into life. "What... what are you doing?"

"We're racing!" supplied Sirius happily.

"I can see that! And why, pray, are you racing?"

Sirius didn't miss a beat. "The exams."

"Yep," James nodded gravely, "We're very stressed."

Looking at them lounging on the stone floor, McGonagall didn't think she'd seen anyone so relaxed in a long time. But before she could point this out, Sirius was talking again.

"There's nothing like racing to relieve stress!" He looked up at her seriously, "You should try it Professor, you're looking a bit uptight."

In the crowd, Remus and Peter snorted with laughter, but when the teacher glared at them, they looked completely innocent, in a 'we're-not-saying-a-word' kind of way. Minerva could actually feel her blood pressure rising. These two would be the death of her.

"Right. To my office, you two. Now."

Familiar with this procedure, the two stood and made their way through the crowd, all of whom were smothering their laughter and shooting them appreciative looks. The two grinned proudly back, falling easily back into their familiar admired roles, but stopped as Minerva spun on her heel, glaring over their shoulders as if something had just occurred to her.

"Pettigrew! Lupin!" The other boys' gazes snapped to her angry face, "Find those desks and return them to their normal, stationary, state before you earn yourself a place in detention."

Peter and Remus both nodded as the Professor turned round, and then returned the grins that James and Sirius sent them. They vanished into the rabble, and the two continued to follow McGonagall down the route to her office, trying their best to seem subdued and remorseful but unable to suppress the small smiles twitching on their lips.

Behind them, the others began to disperse and spread the word of the marauders latest antics. They had been worried for a few days there that the four wouldn't be entertaining them for a while, and were relieved by what had just taken place. Because the last couple of days had been very, very dull.

* * *

**A/N: **Wow. Long chapter. I like it a lot. Anyways, please don't forget to review. The buttons just there! 


	19. Sacrifices

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the Harry Potter books or movies. That's all J.K Rowling's and Warner Brothers'

* * *

Once in a While

Chapter Nineteen – Sacrifices

Sirius tried to get on with Lily, he really did. It wasn't his fault that they just didn't seem to well… _click_ the way her and James did. It didn't help that she had taken to sitting with them at each meal, lesson, and every other time Sirius could think of. She was just impossible to escape from.

Sighing, he reached over the table and picked the last Danish off the golden plate, satisfied at the sight of the few lone crumbs sitting on its polished surface. Sirius couldn't let a dish go unfinished – it just wasn't in his nature.

"Sirius. You better be examining that for poisons, because you did not just eat my pastry."

_Oops._ Sirius realised too late that the now empty plate was sitting in front of Lily's place, next to her cutlery and goblet. This was the kind of stuff he couldn't get used to – I mean, who left food on a plate, untouched, for that long before eating it?

"Sorry," he muttered through his very large mouthful of stolen food, "Erm… Here." he held out the small piece which had fallen from his lips with the last word. Lily eyed him angrily, green eyes narrowing and lip curled.

"Okay – that's disgusting," she muttered.

Sirius glared back and opened his mouth wide to reveal a soggy brown ball of chewed Danish balancing precariously on his tongue. He twitched and the ball jumped slightly in the air, a small piece making a fly for freedom and landing on Lily's recently emptied plate. Her nose wrinkled in complete disgust and she opened her mouth to make a smart comment.

"What's going on?" James had turned away from his conversation with Remus and Peter and was looking curiously between the two. Sirius quickly shut his mouth and Lily smiled charmingly while he chewed. Sirius then swallowed his mouthful with difficulty and joined Lily with the innocent smiling, "Nothing!" He turned to look across the table, "I was just asking Lily here to pass the juice." He smiled at the redhead, who stared a moment before picking up the jug and passing it across the table without breaking eye contact. She may have passed it with slightly more force than was needed, as the honey-coloured liquid splashed over the side with the momentum and trickled down into Sirius' lap. He stared down, and then looked back up at her, a muscle beginning to tick in his forehead.

"Oops. Sorry!" smiled Lily merrily, "I better get going anyway – I want to visit the library."

"Okay," nodded James, "See you in Potions?"

"Sure" Lily leaned across the table and kissed James briefly before standing up and swinging her bag over her shoulder. "Bye guys." And without looking back she made her way out of the hall, James watching her go absent-mindedly...

Because although they tried to hide it, James had noticed the rift between his new girlfriend and best friend, and no matter how hard he thought, he couldn't think of any way to rectify it. Lily had been angry when she'd found out about the whole 'racing' incident but, rather than exploding at James, had shifted the blame onto Sirius. James wasn't sure why this was, as she hadn't had any problem with yelling at him before, but that was beside the point. Lily had lectured Padfoot, and then spent what felt like years complaining to James.

"_I don't know why you put up with him. He's immature, irresponsible… he gives all four of you a bad name!" _

The words still rang in James' ears. He had tried to stick up for Padfoot but he knew, deep down, that she was right. Sirius was immature, and irresponsible, but he was also the best friend James could ask for. If only Lily could see that.

Not that Sirius was blameless. He had spent plenty of time ribbing Lily. He made snide comments, pranked people in front of her – all things he knew would drive her round the bend. James suspected he was trying to make her crack. That he wanted her to loose control and say something which would force James to break up with her. Padfoot had hinted to James, whispered across to him when they were meant to be asleep…

"_No offence Prongs, but she's so uptight! Did you see her when Ian's head inflated? I thought she was gonna explode! I dunno…maybe we should find someone more relaxed? That Jenny girls not bad looking…"_

And so it continued, every day and every night for the last fortnight. What with that and the looming exams, which he was studying for in every free moment, James felt worrying close to breaking. He needed something to take his stress out on. Usually this would have been Quidditch, but now the season was drawing to a close he felt he needed to locate an alternate output. An output which would reveal itself sooner than expected…

* * *

James scrambled to the front of the classroom with Remus to collect his potions ingredients. According to the random textbook he had glanced at on the way up, they would be attempting to make a blood-replenishing potion. It was a lot of responsibility. This potion could save, or take, someone's life, as Slughorn had lectured them for half an hour. James just hoped it wouldn't be used in the hospital wing – the last thing he needed was a murder charge a few months before the end of term. 

Reaching the front desk, James glanced over at Moony, an eyebrow raised. Remus looked back for a moment, before rolling his eyes, gathering a certain amount of ingredients and shoving them into James' waiting arms. He looked down and examined the jars, each filled with saps and objects of different colours. Something violet and slimy bubbled just underneath his nose, letting out a slight popping noise.

James grimaced and glanced at Remus, who was poking at a tray of what looked like rabbits ears. Why was everything in this lesson so disgusting?

Well… not everything. James looked over his shoulder at Lily, who was sitting next to his vacated chair. She was lighting a fire under her cauldron, watching the red flames leap around its smooth black underside and lick up the sides, leaving sooty black prints behind. James' stomach gave a pleasant twist as the new flames gently lit her face, highlighting the small dimple near her left temple.

"What you gawping at Potter?"

Severus Snape was sitting at the front desk, glaring at James. He obviously thought James had been staring at him, rather than the attractive witch sitting in the next seat.

"Sorry Snivellus," smiled James, "I guess I'm just in awe of that conk of yours. Do you need a hammock to keep it off the floor while you sleep?"

Severus looked at him, and James felt his eyes flick, against his will, to Lily sitting behind Snape, completely unawares of the drama unfolding. Snape saw this, and twisted to look over his shoulder. "Of course." He turned round to look back at the marauder, "Can't keep your eyes off the little **mudblood** for more than a minute can we? How touching." He sneered unpleasantly as James' jaw tensed and his hand clenched into a fist around one of the small jars. Next to James, Remus went tense.

"Ignore him," murmured Moony quietly, "He's not worth it."

Nodding, James moved past Snape's desk without looking at him, head held high. At least that's what it appeared like. Remus, who was still up at the desk having turned to watch his friends' amazing self-control, saw quite plainly James' wrist flick and the violet goo fall neatly into Snape's cauldron. He closed his eyes and waited.

Five seconds passed and then, suddenly, the potion exploded. Remus had lost count of the number of explosions taking placein this classroom while James was present and now there was one more. The dark liquid flew upwards in thick wave, which broke all over Severus Snape.

There was a moment's silence, until every Gryffindor broke into laughter, while the Slytherins rushed to their classmate's side. Snape was spluttering, his usually white face already turning a rich scarlet as his blood flooded to the places hit by the potion.

James sat down and turned to Lily, who was staring at him with her mouth open. "What did you do?"

"What?"

"James! Do you think I'm stupid? I heard what Snape said to you. What did you…?"

"**Who** is responsible for this?"

The couple looked up to see Slughorn standing at the front of the classroom, his large bulk taking up most of the board and looking positively terrifying. Snape was being rushed out of the classroom by an anxious classmate, the veins in his face standing up as they fought to escape the skin holding them back.

"Own up!" Slughorn was as angry as James had ever seen him, his whole body trembling, causing his stomach to ripple grotesquely, "Come on!"

James looked nervously to his side, where Lily was glaring furiously at him. She hadn't seen him, James reminded himself, but she suspected him. If he owned up she would know it was him, and if he didn't, well, she might not ever respect him again. Talk about your rock and your hard space. James groaned inwardly and pushed back his chair, ready to stand and accept his fate. He was aware of all his friends looking at him…

"It was me Professor."

James' head whipped round to stare at Sirius, who was sitting a few rows behind, next to Remus, who's mouth had dropped open as he looked up at Sirius.

"Mr Black. Do you have any idea what could have happened? Mr Snape could have died!" Sirius didn't answer, just lowered his gaze to the desk. Slughorn sighed, "Come on. I suppose we better go visit the headmaster."

Sirius pushed back his chair and made his way down the row between the desks, the eyes of all the class on him. As he passed James he caught his eye and shrugged apologetically, a nervous smile on his lips. James watched him leave the classroom, a strange knot in his stomach, and then looked over at Lily, who was looking ashamed and avoiding his eye.

"Sorry," she looked up, "I just assumed it was you, after what Snape said and everything..."

James stared at her, feeling the bile clawing up his throat. What was going on?

* * *

**A/N: **I am sooo sorry everyone, but I think there's going to be another long wait – I've got a family holiday coming up. 

But I hope you liked this chapter – does anyone else love Sirius more than ever? Please review!


	20. Taking the blame

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the Harry Potter books or movies. That's all J.K Rowling's and Warner Brothers'

Once in a While

Chapter Twenty – Taking the blame

James' mind was racing. Running through the unspoken rules of the marauders, the series of guidelines which they all followed, but never spoke of. And the first one was always admitting to your actions, especially if it looked like someone else would have to take the blame. Don't let someone get punished for a crime you had committed.

"James?" Lily was looking at him with concern, "Are you alright?"

"Uh… yeah! I… I'm fine." James gave her a wobbly smile, "hang on." He stood and hurried towards Remus' table, sliding into Sirius' vacated chair. Remus didn't speak for a moment, just poked the simmering cauldron with his wand and watched the flames underneath it dim. James stared for a moment, "So? Is anyone going to explain to me what just happened?"

"I don't know." Remus' voice was cold, "I didn't have anything to do with it."

"Well, obviously!" James snapped, "Only Padfoot would do something so stupid!" He brought his first down on the table as he spoke, and some bubbling potion splashed onto the desk. James gave a sigh which hung somewhere between angry and confused and stared at the small puddle, which was a perfect dark blue against the bleached wood. He stared at it for a few seconds, then swore loudly, jumped up and made a mad dash out of the classroom, ignoring Lily's yell and Remus and Peter's glares.

James kept up a string of obscenities all the way down the corridor, stopping only when he saw a dozen tiny faces staring at him, open-mouthed and wide-eyed, through their open classroom door. He quickly silenced, fearing that an irate professor would come charging at him, and quickened his step yet again. He was now running at full speed down the corridor, nearly stumbling down a staircase which seemed to appear from nowhere.

He kept expecting to see Slughorns vast behind or Sirius' neat head disappearing down a corridor. Honestly, how fast could a man that big walk? But each time he was disappointed. They had obviously moved faster than he'd thought because, five minutes later, James was hovering in front of the horrible gargoyle statue that worked as the guardian to the headmaster's office. Dumbledore and Slughorn were probably right now discussing the fastest way to get Sirius out of the castle. "Shit!" James kicked the statue hard, then swore again and clutched his foot, hopping down the corridor.

There was no way he would be able to get in there without a password. He had tried before, spent a whole night spent slumped in front of that ugly, scowling statue with the other three guys, occasionally shouting brand names out in vain until the sun had begun to rise and they had trailed dejectedly back to their dorm room.

James' hopping soon turned into a jog, then a run and he shot back up the staircase he had just climbed. Soon he skidded to a halt a few feet from McGonagall's classroom. He didn't really want to explain the current situation to his head of house, but didn't see any alternative. Sure, she wasn't his biggest fan, and certainly wouldn't be after this, but then again, none of the teachers seemed particularly fond of him, so she seemed as good a bet as any.

Awkwardly, James sidled up to the door, gathered his nerve and knocked twice. There was a moment's silence, which he passed jumping nervously from one foot to the other. Suddenly, unable to take another agonising second, he shoved the door slightly open and shoved his head through the gap.

"Erm… Hey professor!"

"Potter," she seemed completely unsurprised at the sight of the head boy's head appearing in the middle of her lesson, "What do I owe this pleasure?"

James entered the classroom, looking affronted. "Now now Professor, there's no need for sarcasm." Then, realising that backchat probably wouldn't help his cause any, "I need to see the headmaster. Please."

"The headmaster?"

James barely bit back another sarcastic comment. What was wrong with him? "Yes please."

"And why would you want to do that?"

"Uh…" James realised that the entire group of fifth years had put down their quills and were watching their exchange intently, as if his predicament was much more exciting than… (James checked the board) vanishing spells. To be honest, they had a point.

"Mr Potter?"

"Oh! Yeah… Well, what happened was…" James started to scrabble for an excuse, "this Hippogriff…" Then, realising that the truth was probably the best idea right now, he sighed in resignation.

"I ruined Snape's blood replenishing potion and it exploded everywhere, then Professor Slughorn got all upset and wanted to know who did it and I would have said something Professor, honestly, but before I could… Sirius said it was him," here James took a deep breath before ploughing on, "And so now I have to get to the headmaster and tell the truth before Sirius gets kicked out or suspended, but I don't know the password so I hoped you could… Shouldn't you guys be working? This won't help you pass your OWLs you know!"

The last part was directed at the class, some of whom were staring so intensely their eyes looked in danger of popping out. At James' words however, they all began frantically scribbling again before their teacher caught them. Not that there seemed much danger of that, as McGonagall was looking at James with an expression that would normally have had him running for cover. As it was, he just directed a sheepish look down at his shoes. There was a moment's silence before…

"I'll be two minutes! If I get back here and find anything, _anything_ out of place, you will all be in serious trouble!"

James looked up and saw Professor McGonagall sweeping towards him. Before he could really register what was going on, she had an iron-like grip on his arm and was dragging him behind her down the corridor, muttering something under her breath angrily. Gently, James tried to extradite himself from his teachers death grip, but she just held on tighter and he eventually decided it would be better for his circulation if he just let her pull him along.

Eventually, they arrived once again in front of the gargoyle, and he winced as Professor McGonagall barked out the password ("Cauldron Cake!") and practically threw him onto the emerging spiral staircase. James clambered onto the first step and then looked back at her, "Aren't you coming?"

She sighed, "No Potter. If you remember, I have a class to teach."

"Oh Yeah. Right." Suddenly, the idea of going into the office on his own seemed even more daunting than being marched in with McGonagall. But still, he turned and climbed the rest of the staircase, ending up in front of the large wooden door to the study.

James knocked, waited, and knocked again. And again. Finally he took to pounding on the door with his fist, and was just considering calling out some well-worded comment when the door swung open to reveal his potions teacher peering curiously out at him.

"Mister Potter!"

"Hello Professor."

"Why aren't you in class?"

James took a breath, "Because I ruined Snape's potion Professor."

"Excuse me?"

"It wasn't Sirius, sir. It was me."

Professor Slughorn looked at him for a second, before whirring round to stare at the two other occupants of the study. For the first time, James got a look into the room. Well, not the first time ever, obviously, but probably the first time this week. At least.

Sirius was sitting in one of the hand backed chairs in front of the desk with his knee jumping nervously. He looked a like he was fighting between frustration and gratitude at James' arrival, and contented himself with flicking him the finger and grinning slightly. Behind him, Dumbledore seemed too preoccupied with James to notice Sirius' gesture and was looking curiously at him over his glasses, his arms resting comfortably on the desktop.

"Black?" Slughorn yelled.

"Um." Sirius' eyes flicked from James to Slughorn, confused about what he supposed to say. James widened his eyes and nodded slightly, and after a second Sirius' shoulders sagged. "Yeah. Okay. It was James."

"Really?" Slughorn narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

A baffled look from Sirius, "What? Yes! Why? Do you think it's an elaborate plot to confuse you out of punishing us?"

Slughorn swelled with indignation, "There's no need for that Mr Black."

"But…"

"Sirius!" James interrupted, "Shut up!"

"But…"

"Are you sure you want to finish that sentence Mister Black?" Dumbledore spoke up from behind the desk, from which he'd been watching the conversation with what looked suspiciously like amusement. Sirius glanced over at him, before slumping back in the chair as James took the one next to him.

"Is this true?" The question was put forward gently, but James still squirmed uneasily.

"Yes Professor," the two chorused quietly.

Dumbledore nodded and adjusted himself in his chair, eyeing them both warily. "So why would Mister Black here take blame for something he didn't do? Hmm?"

Sirius blinked. "Erm… well. What happened there Sir was that… that… well, we all know what an... um… accomplished head boy James here is. And it would be a shame to put a… black mark on his record…" He trailed off as James gave him an incredulous look. "What?"

Dumbledore simply shook his head, realising that it would take a lot more time than he had available to get a straight story here. "Thank you Mister Black. I suppose you're free to go." Sirius smiled gratefully and arranged himself more comfortably on his chair. The headmaster stared at him for a second before Sirius caught his eye, stared, then jumped up and scuttled out with a small noise of understanding. The door shut behind him but there was no footsteps indicating further movement. Obviously he'd decided to wait for James.

"Mister Potter," Dumbledore was serious again, "If it wasn't so close to your exams, you know I would have no choice but to suspend you." James looked awkwardly down at his hands while Dumbledore continued, "The potion given to you was assigned assuming you were a class of mature adults. I would not expect the head boy, of all people, to abuse that trust."

James muttered an awkward apology, and the headmaster sighed, "I hope you realise what serious problems could have arisen." James nodded to his lap, and the headmaster inclined his head. "Well, I suppose you better make your way to Professor McGonagall's office." The boy glanced at him questioningly and he smiled, "She'll see to your punishment Mister Potter."

He nodded, and James leaped out of his seat as though it was red hot, walking quickly past Slughorn, who looked livid, slamming the door behind him and leaning against it.

"Oh god," he whispered, "I'm going to die."

Sirius, who had been sitting on the top step while tapping his feet in a seemingly random beat, gave his usual bark of laughter, "What?"

"Nothing." James turned to stare blankly at him. "Except McGonagall's punishing me."

Sirius jumped to his feet in a way that seemed entirely too cheerful. "Relax! McGonagall can't expel you can she?"

"No, but she can turn me into a chair."

"Because… that's what she does now?" Sirius raised an eyebrow questioningly and James pulled a face in return. Sirius ignored it and started to make his way down the spiral staircase, James following. After a moment of silence, he spoke casually over his shoulder. "You know, you completely ruined my plan."

"You had a plan?"

"Course! It was a 'keep-Evans-happy-with-Prongs' plan."

James was silent for a second, "But you hate Lily."

"Hate's a strong word Prongs. But... okay… let's just say she's not my favourite person in the world."

There was another awkward silence, broken again by James, "Is there more to that sentence?"

"I don't like Evans. But I like you, don't I? And you like her, so…" Sirius reached the bottom of the staircase with a flourish, and James ploughed straight into him, yelling out.

"Just stop moving why don't you?"

"Okay." Sirius spun round, grinning, "But while I do that, you have detentions to arrange." And he bowed James down the corridor.

"Prat," muttered James, but he couldn't help laughing as he turned the corner.

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**A/N:** Thanks for being so patient everyone! This chapter is dedicated to **MissBlack2**, who was my 150th reviewer. Next chapter very soon – I promise!


	21. Eagle feather quills

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the Harry Potter books or movies. That's all J.K Rowling's and Warner Brothers'

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Once in a While

Chapter Twenty One– Eagle feather quills

Watching James vanish, Sirius smiled broadly to himself and gave a little skip. It was a strange feeling, not getting a detention. One that Sirius felt he could get used to.

He turned and walked straight into a furiously glowering face. A face which caused Sirius to give a yelp and jump a foot in the air. Lily smiled smugly.

"Evans!" Sirius narrowed his eyes at her, "You're not in class."

"No."

"How come?" he asked, and enjoyed for a few seconds the sight of Lily flushing slightly pink and stammering for an excuse, "Are people just making a run for it now?"

"Well… you did blow up the classroom." She glared at him, arms crossed, "Again."

"Technically, James blew it up the last time. I just stirred."

There was a moment when Lily simply stared at him, before giving up and shaking her head. "Have you seen James?"

"Yes. You're looking for a tall bloke, quite skinny with glasses."

"Oh thank you," smiled Lily, proving that sarcasm could be a very effective weapon, "You know I don't know why he hangs around with you. You're obviously stupider than half a flobberworm. But more self-obsessed."

"Hey!"

"Well it's true! It wouldn't kill you to be a bit less selfish once in a while!"

"Selfish!" Sirius glared, "How about taking the blame for an explosion your prat of a boyfriend caused? Is that selfish enough for you?" He suddenly wished he could grab the words back, but they simply hung heavily in the air, echoing in the empty corridor.

"What?" Lily looked confused, "James did it?"

"Yeah, he did it." Sirius crossed his arms as Lily stared at him.

"But… but you said you did!"

"Well I didn't! I was sitting down the whole time!"

A look of horrified realisation dawned across Lily's stunned face, "Oh Merlin... you're right. You were sitting down." She directed her bright green eyes down at the floor for a moment, before her head jerked up and she looked suspiciously at Sirius, "So why did you take the blame?"

Sirius waved his arm, brushing the question away as unimportant, "Because I didn't want you to lay into James."

Lily's eyes widened, and her mouth opened slightly. "Oh… "

They stood there in the deserted corridor awkwardly, neither looking at the other. More than once someone opened their mouth to say something, but words never came out. Finally they were rescued by the sound of angry thumping as someone came stamping down the nearby staircase. Sirius recognised the noise before Lily, and winced as James came storming round the corner.

"James!" Lily turned and glared at him, "Did you blow up the classroom?"

James shot Sirius a look that said quite clearly, _'I will be forced to kill you as soon as possible.' _

"Well, is it true?" Lily was still peering curiously at him.

James' eyes flicked from Sirius' guilty expression to Lily's probing stare. "Erm… Is that McGonagall?" He began to walk quickly in the opposite direction until Lily barked his name and he froze in his tracks, turning round slowly. He looked defiantly at her for a moment, before his shoulders slumped.

"Okay, I did it!" he whined, sounding a lot younger than his eighteen years, "But I owned up in the end. Merlin, I'm spending a week peeling things of the ceiling for Filch!"

Sirius winced, "Ugh. Tough luck mate."

"I know! He's probably going to stick stuff up there for me to take down again."

"Like what?"

"I dunno. Stuff from the toilets probably."

"Erm... hello!" Lily glared at them both, "If you two can manage to stick to a single topic for more than twenty seconds?" The two boys both looked guiltily at her and she gave a sigh of frustration, pulling a hand through her scarlet hair. "James! You… you blew it up? _Again_?"

"No, Sirius did it last time!"

"No," Lily said slowly, as is explaining something to someone very stupid, "He just _stirred_!"

Now Sirius was looking thoroughly confused, "Are you sticking up for me Evans?"

"No!"

"I think you were."

"Well, I wasn't!"

Sirius opened his mouth to reply, but Lily, having had enough surreal arguments for one day, simply gave a yell of fury and stormed off round a corner, muttering about responsibility and hexes under her breath. The two boys stood watching her retreating back until she was out of earshot, before James turned and gave Sirius a shove, "You told her?"

"So it would seem."

"But… but… what about your plan?"

"It's been changed. What was formally a 'keep-Evans-happy-with-Prongs' plan is now a 'make-Evans-be-happy-with-me-against-her-will' plan."

James looked at him for a moment, "You really need to work on shorter plan names."

Sirius' answer was a sharp slap round the head.

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Lily remained angry with both James and Sirius for a couple of days, and James found himself knee-deep in compliments, manners and anything else which he felt would get him back in her good books. He even brought her a present. Though by 'brought' I mean that he rummaged around in the deepest, most disgusting corners of the marauders dorm to find something suitable.

So by the weekend Lily was sitting back with the four boys in the library, surrounded by the towering bookcases and frantically studying students. She was twirling her new eagle feather quill between her fingers and copying notes from a dusty book while James sat opposite, practicing his blank stare with Peter and Sirius either side of him. Remus sat next to Lily, and was watching the spiralling quill absent-mindedly.

"I swear I recognise that quill from somewhere."

"Maybe you saw it in the shop," replied Lily, still deep in work.

"Yes. You probably saw it in the shop Moony," agreed James, nodding sincerely. Next to him, Sirius snapped back to reality with a jerk and elbowed James hard in the ribs, "Ouch! You know Padfoot; you're getting a bit too violent for my taste. I think you should reconsider your diet."

"Why do you four have such weird nicknames?" Lily had looked up, and was glancing between the four curiously. James realised what Sirius' violent outburst had actually been about, and glanced apologetically at him before turning back to Lily.

"Erm, Sirius has a… pad on his… foot?"

"What?"

"Yeah! It's like a… a growth." Out of the corner of his eye James saw Sirius stare at him with horror. Lily grimaced, and glanced warily at Sirius, who smiled charmingly. James prayed that she wouldn't ask about Remus' name. Because the only thing he could think of involved a certain type of moon that he knew Remus wouldn't appreciate. However, Remus was still staring glumly at the quill, now resting on the table, and didn't seem to be paying attention.

"You have a growth on your foot?" whispered Lily to Sirius, who blinked. The two had been getting along recently. Well, almost. James guessed that the two would always have their differences, but after the Slughorn fiasco, Lily seemed more willing to put up with Sirius, and visa versa. They could at least hold a civil conversation without throwing food all over each other.

"Well, I wouldn't say a growth. More of a... skin abnormality…" Sirius muttered to his text book.

Unfortunately for the boys, Lily actually seemed quite interested in Sirius' mutated foot. Interested in much the same way people tend to be with violent crimes and rare diseases. She was looking at him through narrowed eyes, and was just opening her mouth when Remus gave a yelp, snatching the quill off the desk and eyeing it closely.

"My dad gave me this for Christmas!"

James' head snapped round. "No he didn't."

"He did!"

"No Remus," James gave him a very meaningful look, which gave the impression that he had something stuck somewhere painful. "He didn't."

When Remus didn't pursue the matter and just threw him a dirty look, James made his excuses and stood to take a book back. He was just squatting down to place it back on the bottom shelf a few rows away when a voice spoke above him.

"Great. Now everyone in the library thinks I have a strange foot disease."

James glanced upwards and sighed, pushing the book back into the empty slot. He stood and brushed the dust off his knees, "You know, one day I may have to tell her."

Sirius guffawed with laughter, "Yeah, okay Prongs. I'll tell you what. You can tell her as soon as you two are engaged, okay?" And with that he clapped his best friend on the shoulder and made his way back towards the table, leaving a scowling James in his wake.

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**A/N: **Chapter 21 everyone!I'm in a good mood today because I passed all my exams! Yay! Anyway, hope you all like this – thanks again for all your fab reviews! I love you all!


	22. NEWTS

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the Harry Potter books or movies. That's all J.K Rowling's and Warner Brothers'

----------------------------------------------------the line thingy isn't working.---------------------------------------------

Once in a While

Chapter Twenty Two – NEWTS

Sure enough, the exams hit the seventh years with the speed and power of the Hogwarts express. All the Marauders woke on the morning of the first exam with a start, and entertained themselves with panicked swearing until the moment they were told to open their papers two hours later. To their pleasant surprise however, they found that they had exceeded even their own expectations and actually learned something this year. They might even go so far as to say they found their exams _easy_. Before they knew it, they were sitting to go into their final exam, and wondering what in Merlin's name had happened to the last two weeks.

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"Uh… Peter Pettigrew?"

"Pardon?"

"Peter Pettigrew."

"Pardon?"

"Pettigrew! Peter Pettigrew!"

"… Pardon?"

James couldn't help but laugh. It was worth taking these exams just for the sheer entertainment it provided. Peter had been saddled with probably the oldest, deafest examiner ever, and was even now pointing desperately to the name sheet sitting between them. James, a couple of tables away, was allowing his own examiner to exclaim over the fine pestle and mortar he had just transfigured, complete with Potter family crest, and was so taking the opportunity to scan the hall.

There were about ten tables set up at regular intervals, behind which sat several witches and wizards, each older and (in James' opinion) more insane than the next. McGonagall stood by the door watching her student's attempts at practical transfiguration and looking as nervous as any of them. She caught James looking and nodded meaningfully at his work, flashing a small smile. He was so surprised he almost fell off his chair.

"Now Mister Potter," said the examiner, pushing the small bowl to the side of the desk, "Finally, I will need you to transfigure this," she produced a confused looking kitten from a small basket by her feet, "into a book bound with blue leather, with 546 blank pages and a silver marker."

James nodded and sat up, raising him wand, "Which shade of blue?"

"Any will do." the examiner smiled and motioned for him to proceed. James blew out through pursed lips, concentrated hard on the kitten, which was blinking up at him nervously. The thing looked almost as if it knew what was coming. It had probably been transfigured back and forth at least twenty times already today. James focused and gave his wand a slight flick.

There was a small popping noise, and a book bound in periwinkle blue leather sat motionless on the desk. A small explosion of relief took place in James' chest. His final exam was finished. The examiner picked it up, tugging briefly at the sparkling silver marker and flicked to the back to check the page number. After a second she looked up at James, a sincere smile stretching her wrinkled face. "Thank you Mister Potter. If you could leave through the door on your right."

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"James!" Lily came barrelling up to him, smiling broadly, and threw her arms round his neck.

"Hey!" James choked out, nearly knocked over by the ferocity of her hug, "It went well then?"

Lily drew back, still smiling and clutching his shoulders, "Course! Did you expect anything else?"

James laughed and pulled her back into the hug. Lily had been freaking out in a major way about the exams, not agreeing with James and Sirius' 'what will be will be' philosophy (complete with song). She had been especially worried about her transfiguration practical, which she had been having trouble with all year. James had spent the last four or five evenings holed up in a classroom McGonagall had left open for NEWT practice, running through techniques with her until they'd been kicked out by an angry Filch.

"You know," he announced, throwing an arm round her shoulders and beginning to walk along the corridor, which was lined with students waiting for friends to appear from exams, "your worst subject was transfiguration, and that's my best subject, and _my_ worst is potions - which is one of your best. How convenient is that? Lily, this is yet _another_ shred of proof that we were made for each other!"

Lily just sighed and elbowed him in the ribs, though she couldn't help smiling.

"Ouch!" James recoiled, rubbing his side and looking hurt, "you have unnaturally sharp elbows!"

"Oh thanks."

"They're very nice elbows. Just sharp."

"Right." Lily smiled up at him, unsure about how she'd ended up standing so close to him, or in a secluded alcove, but not minding at all. She leaned in and pressed her lips against his, feeling him smile against her…

"Prongs! You oversized hedgehog! Leave that poor girl alone!"

The two broke apart reluctantly and turned their heads to see Sirius standing dramatically at the end of the corridor. He'd left the exam hall before James had entered, and had obviously put the time to good use...

Lily burst out laughing, burying her head in the space between James' neck and shoulder. James rolled his eyes, lips quirking upwards despite himself, "Black. What in the name of arse are you wearing?"

"Do you like it?" Sirius struck up another pose, "It's my party outfit." He was wearing a bright orange shirt with his (slightly singed) Gryffindor tie, completed by a pair of violently flared jeans.

"It's… unique," laughed James, "Where'd you get it?"

"You know. A bit here, a bit there." Sirius grinned at him and spun slowly, arms extended, to give him the full impression.

"None of it's yours is it?" whispered Lily as he turned, obviously hoping that her boyfriend had a slightly less eccentric taste in clothing than his best friend.

"No!"

Sirius clearly thought that James' cry had been a slight on his outfit, and raised his eyebrows, "Evans likes it. Don't you Evans?"

"Err…" Lily looked like a deer caught in the headlights, torn between laughing hysterically and plain confusion. Although she was growing used to Sirius, she still wasn't sure how to react to his outbursts of madness. Thankfully, Sirius didn't wait for her to answer.

"Fine! Be that way! Party back at the common room by the way. Bring your own groove." And Sirius walked off, nearly killing a couple of Hufflepuff's with his jeans. The couple glanced at each other, eyebrows raised, before bursting into laughter.

"Was I just told to bring my own groove?"

"I think you might have been," laughed James, before slipping an arm round her waist, "Fancy finding somewhere where Sirius isn't going to interrupt?"

"Sure. That sounds great."

James smiled down at her, "Just a second." He turned to yell down the corridor. Peter had just emerged from the door and was chatting to a girl sitting against the wall, craning her neck to see him properly.

"Pete!"

"What?"

"Party in the common room. Bring your own groove."

"Okay. Wait... what?"

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The common room, when the two clambered through the portrait hole half an hour later, was buzzing with the noise of relieved seventh and fifth years, both of whom had finished their exams this week. The room was milling with people, some in uniform, some in normal clothes, and there was a table which looked close to collapsing under the hundreds of bottles of butterbeer, pumpkin juice and what looked a lot to James like firewhisky. It looked like Sirius had been busy.

Lily noticed it too, and went determinedly off to clear the table of anything that wasn't suitable, to a huge groan of disappointment from the older students.

"Evans!" cried Sirius from the middle of the 'dance floor'. This was really the space which was commonly used for doing homework, but Sirius had obviously felt that was inappropriate and had got rid of the desks. Completely.

"You can get drunk when terms over," said Lily bluntly, plucking a firewhisky from the hand of a bored looking sixth year. Sirius considered this, then nodded and carried on with his vigorous dancing.

James laughed, and felt a bottle being pushed at him. He turned to see Remus grinning at him. "How'd it go?"

"Not bad," said James, accepting the drink, "You?"

"Good," answered Remus, before looking over at Sirius and wincing slightly. "Do you reckon we should stop him?"

James followed his gaze back to Sirius, who had started doing enthusiastic hip thrusts in the middle of the group. People were actually backing away for fear of injury. He couldn't help but laugh loudly, "Nah. He'll tire himself out soon."

Unfortunately, this didn't seem to be the case. An hour later, both Sirius and James could be found doing an animated version of the can-can in the completely vacated dance floor. They finished with a flourish and a round of applause from their classmates, before starting a sparkling rendition of 'Night Fever'.

Lily stood on the edge, sipping a pumpkin juice and trying desperately not to laugh. Remus was leaning back against a sofa next to her, chuckling and completely ignoring the frustrated couple who had been using the piece of furniture for a make out spot.

"Are they always so… energetic?" muttered Lily to Remus, who grinned.

"Lily, it's been weeks. How have you not noticed that both James and Sirius are both completely and utterly insane? Of course they're always like this!"

Lily sighed but couldn't help smiling broadly and shaking her head as the two yelled at her and Remus to come and join them. The action was met with boos from the crowd and wails of dismay from James and Sirius. They recovered enough however, to grab Peter from the opposite side of the crowd and force him into their dance routine.

It was nearing midnight when the lively music stopped and was replaced by slow, sultry number. Lily, who had finally agreed to dance a few with James, and even one with Sirius, was feeling quite bruised and sore. Understandably she looked warily as her boyfriend approached her through the crowd. "I am not doing swing dancing with you again. I'm lucky to be alive."

James feigned disappointment, "Ah well. Can't blame a guy for trying. How does normal dancing grab you?"

Lily smiled, took James' hand and allowed herself to be pulled into the slowly moving crowd. She slipped her arms round his neck, rested her head on his shoulder, and closed her eyes with a content sigh.

Back by the drinks table, Sirius was watching James and Lily closely. He watched as James said something and Lily laughed without opening her eyes. He saw James tighten his arms round her waist and bury his face in her hair, breathing in deeply while couples moved gently all around them. Then he spoke to the person next to him, who was sorting through drinks.

"They're actually not too bad a couple, are they?" Sirius muttered. Then he shrugged, turning to look at Remus examining the table, "At least, they don't make me want to throw up at the sight of them."

Remus nodded, and then said thoughtfully, "Yeah, they're good. You know, I think her and James might actually make it."

Sirius stared at his friend for a moment, his eyebrows furrowed and confused. Then, eventually, he spoke, "That's not true!"

"Yes it is," defended Remus, not looking away from the table, "It's a definate fact!"

"What, like the fact that you're lying?"

"Yes. Like the fact that... no!" His head snapped up and he glared at a smirking Padfoot, before sighing and grabbing a bottle of pumpkin juice from under a fifth years nose.

Sirius sighed, "Come on then Moony old bean. Let's go find something to dance with." And he grabbed his friends wrist, dragging him towards a couple of girls who were watching the couples on the dance floor jealously. On the edge of the group, the head boy and girl continued to sway, completely unaware that anyone had been discussing them

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**A/N:** Okay. First off, I'm sorry I didn't have time to do replies before uploading this. I'll try and get them done tomorrow. Second… erm… I don't actually have a second. Except please review! Pleeaase!


	23. Dress shopping

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the Harry Potter books or movies. That's all J.K Rowling's and Warner Brothers'

Once in a While

Chapter Twenty three – Dress shopping

"Bugger, bugger, bugger, _bugger_!" James barrelled down the hall, muttering under his breath and skidding round corners at an unnaturally fast pace. An unfortunate sixth year who happened to be in his way got shoved into the stone wall by his flying arm, and the protesting yell followed James down the corridor in a deep echo.

The bundle of parchment in James' arms, which were hugged close to his chest, kept breaking up and lone scraps floated merrily backwards. Each time this happened, James would come to a halt instantly and run in the other direction, scooping up the escapee and, without breaking his stride, turn on his heel to continue his mad dash to the classroom where the prefect meeting was being held.

After disappearing through a seemingly solid wall and remerging a minute later on a completely different floor, the head boy eventually exploded into the room. The seventh year prefects sat in a circle, chatting and laughing. Remus and Lily sat together, with Moony laughing merrily with the male Hufflepuff prefect, and Lily glaring daggers at James himself. James sometimes wondered whether Lily was related to McGonagall in any way, because he'd seen a photo of her family and she seemed to have a lot more in common with their teacher than that sister of hers…

Remus seemed to notice her silence, because he looked around and transferred his smile to James, eyebrows raised, "Did you get them?"

James looked down at the pages he was still holding tightly, then back up at Moony with one eyebrow raised. He didn't say a word. Remus shook his head slightly, "Right. Stupid question."

"You think?"

"But come on, how did you manage to get all the way over here before you realised you'd forgotten them?"

"Because Lupin, we don't all have memories like elephants."

"Are we going to get on with this? Or do you two just want to flirt all day?" Lily snapped, looking between the two boys. Her hair was scooped into a messy bun and she had bags under her eyes. All in all, she didn't look happy.

"Wow. Someone's in high spirits today."

"Well, in case you didn't realise James, this stupid ball is in _exactly _a week, and we haven't even organised drinks. So if you don't mind…"

"Okay, okay." James threw himself in the only available seat, between a Ravenclaw and Slytherin, and split the bundle into four smaller piles, which were then distributed among the group. "Right," he shuffled his papers in a manner highly resembling a news reporter, "top sheet, the one with the snitch doodled in the corner…" he could hear Lily sighing over the rummaging of parchment, and caught her eye across the circle. He grinned, and Lily blushed despite herself. That familiar, crooked grin which had once made her stomach contract with anger now did so for very different reasons, and what was worse, James knew it.

"Anyway," he continued, "These are ideas for drinks, which as Lily so politely pointed out, haven't been organised yet. So if you all could have a look at them, we'll take a vote."

"Err…" one girl raised her hand slightly, "Do you really think we'll be allowed to have extra-strength firewhisky?"

"What? No!" James looked angrily at the girl, "Can we _please_ be sensible Hannah?"

Hannah looked affronted, "Well, it's on _your_ list!"

"Huh?"

"Erm… James?" Lily was skimming over the other pages, "How come one of the themes is 'Sex and its toys'?"

"What?" James flipped to the appropriate page (the one with a quaffle on it) and ran his eyes down it. There was a moment of silence, before James looked slowly up at Remus. "Sirius got to my notes didn't he?"

Remus nodded, obviously trying not to laugh, "Quite probably."

James' shoulders slumped. "I hate him."

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That weekend, the small shop in the corner of Hogsmeade did a roaring trade. The small outlet was made up of two rooms, one massive and one a lot smaller. The larger of the two rooms hid its high, arching ceilings and elegant decoration by filling itself full to bursting with rails upon rails of gowns and dresses. The lighting was dim, and the large front window had a heavy curtain pulled across, denying the summer sunshine entrance. The only natural light streamed desperately through the small and dusty glass pane set into the door, highlighting a delicate piece of lace on a dress of silver satin.

James strode up and down the isles of clothes, blankly scanning the rails of different fabrics and colours until they all blurred together. Red, blue, pink, yellow, red, blue…

"James!"

James swung round and grinned through the glass pane on the window, where the rest of the marauders were pressing their faces to the glass so their noses were squashed upwards. They smiled and peeled themselves away before shoving their heads round the door, one above the other. "You guys done?"

"Don't be stupid. She's only been in there for," he checked his watch, "an hour and a half."

"Merlin!" Sirius pushed the door open a bit further, causing Peter and Remus to stumble and nearly fall, yelling out loud obscenities. Sirius ignored them but the shop assistant; an old lady doubled over a desk, looked up angrily and made shushing noises. The three new arrivals smiled guiltily and she rolled her eyes. Sirius looked back at James, still grinning, before peering over his shoulder.

"Evans!" he yelled, causing the lady to jump and knock a box of quills off her desk. The scattered over the floor with a light clatter, skidding across the dark floorboards.

Lily's head popped round the scarlet curtain to the changing room, "What!" she roared angrily. Her hair stood slightly on end thanks to the static from the curtain. Sirius' head recoiled slightly and he blinked.

"Erm… You know when you're gonna be done?"

Suddenly Lily's friend's head appeared above hers, dark hair tumbling over Lily's head. "About twenty minutes?"

James stared, "When did you get there?"

"I've been here for years! Hey Remus!" she smiled at Moony, who smiled back and stuck his hand round the door to wave. Lily gave a groan of annoyance, rolled her eyes and yanked her friend back round the curtain by the collar.

"What _are_ they doing?" asked Sirius, looking bewildered.

"Getting dresses for the ball. _Still_!" James made his way towards the door and leant against the frame, scuffing the toe of his shoe across the mat, "They've been hours!"

"I know!" Sirius was sounding frustrated, after all, he had been waiting for James for nearly two hours, "Come _on_ Lils!" he bellowed.

"I'm coming!" came the replying shriek. James couldn't help but smile softly at Sirius' wince. Lily was the only person who could make Sirius look that nervous.

"Why do they have to get new dresses each time?" muttered Peter, "I mean I've had the same dress robes since fifth year!"

"Yeah but some people have actually grown since they were sixteen Wormtail," smirked Moony, earning himself a sharp punch on the arm. Remus raised his eyebrows at him in surprise. "Are you being violent towards me Peter? I feel betrayed."

"Shut up Moony." muttered Sirius absent-mindedly, and pulled his elbow back to catch Remus in the stomach. The boy staggered slightly with an "Oof!" of pain.

"Why are we all beating up Remus?" said James, peering over Sirius' shoulder to where Remus was rubbing his stomach in the bright sunshine.

"Because Mister Prongs, we have nothing better to do."

"Ah."

"You know, if you guys had been nice enough to pick, or at least consider, my theme, they wouldn't need to buy dresses."

"Sirius…" James said warningly as Sirius' eyes glazed over, "You better not be imagining what I think you're imagining."

"I'm not! I'm actually thinking of the buffet. We're having beef right?" replied Sirius sneakily, snapping back to reality, "I don't know _what_ you were thinking of Prongs…"

"Right."

"I was!"

"You know James, there's a fifty percent chance he might be telling the truth. We both know all Sirius thinks about is sex and food." Remus had apparently recovered enough to talk.

"Shut up Moony."

"Ouch! What is _with_ everyone today?"

"We're ready!" cried a voice, (to Remus' relief) and James turned to see Lily and her friend emerging, complete with sales assistant and large bags, which he peered at curiously. "So are we allowed to see them?"

"_No!_ Not until the ball!"

"Oh," said James, slightly put out. Then his eyebrows retracted in an expression of confusion, "So… why was I even here?"

"I don't know," shrugged Lily, "You said you'd stay."

"So you're saying that James here could have been in the Quidditch shop, or in Zonko's, for these past two hours?" questioned Sirius slowly, "But instead he chose to be in 'Flippergrots formalwear for young ladies'?"

"Uh… yeah pretty much." Lily passed money over the counter to the old lady while Sirius burst into laughter. He turned to James and tried to speak, though the actual words were undistinguishable beneath the peals of laughter.

"I'll just assume you made a gay joke shall I?" said James seriously, watching his friend giggle mercilessly. Sirius' head bobbed up and down in agreement. When he had recovered enough James continued, "So who you going with? Decided yet?"

Sirius raised a hand, fingers extended, "I have narrowed it down to _five_ potential ladies." He grinned and wiggled his eyebrows, "I may conduct interviews."

"You're a bit of a slut Pads, you know that?" pointed out James, and Sirius shrugged in a carefree way. James turned to Remus, "What about you?"

"Not yet," came the uninterested reply, though James noticed him glancing over at Lilys friend over his shoulder. James grinned and Remus flushed slightly, looking challengingly at him. James didn't persue it. There were some things you didn't bug Moony about, and this was one of them.

"I'm going with Heather Williams!" smiled Peter proudly, and the other smiled down at him fondly. They all knew how proud Peter was of his achievement - even though they'd practically thrown them together.

"Come on," Lily, who had passed the dress to the assistant and bid goodbye to her friend, slipped her hand through James', "Let's get a Butterbeer."

"Yes. Let's." James pushed open the door and held it while Lily stepped through onto the cobbled street, before following her with Sirius.

The summer was definitely arriving. The heat which had haunted the castle and village a short while ago had returned in full force, beating hard down on the heads of the group. The street itself was clutching the heat, so they could feel it beneath as well as above them, and the floor was dusty with the remains of the mud which had long disappeared. Remus was sitting on a wall nearby, doing his best to look hurt and upset, but failing miserably due to the large fly which kept attempting to land on his face.

Lily, still linked with James, turned to look at Sirius. "What's wrong with Remus?" she asked, having missed the whole violent episode.

"Nothing. He's fine."

"You kicked me!"

"Shut up now Remus."

"But…" Remus got another punch on his already-quite-bruised shoulder. "Oh that's great. More violence," muttered the teenager sulkily under his breath, "Why don't you guys just throw me in the pond there and have done?"

James and Sirius slowed and shared a look, a familiar glint in their eyes. "Hang on…" said Remus warily, "I didn't… _Oi!_" For Remus was now hanging upside-down by his ankle and was being hovered, kicking and screaming, towards a deep and muddy puddle of water. James and Sirius followed happily, wands raised and smirking, leaving Peter and Lily standing on the path with their mouths slightly open.

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**A/N: **Okay everybody. I'm really sorry but I think I'm going to have to stop replying to all my reviews. I read them all, and I love them all, but I simply don't have time anymore to write back to each one – I barely find time to write! Lol! But please keep letting me know what you think – I always love hearing from everyone!


	24. The leaver's ball

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the Harry Potter books or movies. That's all J.K Rowling's and Warner Brothers'

* * *

Once in a While

Chapter Twenty four – The leaver's ball.

Sirius, who was carefully arranging his hair in the mirror, yelled out loud as a flying sock hit him square in the face. "Wormtail!"

"Sorry!" Peter's voice was slightly muffled, as his head was buried in his trunk. The plump behind wriggling in the air was all too tempting a target for James, who took time out of peering over Sirius' shoulder in an attempt to manage his own hair to throw a shoe at it. Peter's yelp of pain ran through the dorm and was shortly followed by the boy's loud laughter, which could be heard from the common room.

Remus emerged from the bathroom, his hair wet and straight with comb lines running from root to tip. He ran his gaze over James and Sirius, chuckling into the mirror, to Peter, who was rubbing his backside gingerly. His face cracked into a grin at the sight, "Don't worry Wormtail – it's still there."

"I think a stud punctured my arse."

"Fantastic." Remus clambered over a pile of robes and picked up his dress robe, which was neatly folded on his bed. He pulled it on over his shirt and trousers, before grabbing the tie that was looped around the bedpost. While he tied it, he looked over at James, who was dressed but still struggling with his hair, to Sirius, who looked ready but still didn't seem satisfied.

"Gah!" Sirius threw down the comb and glared at his reflection. Behind him, James' head bobbed up and down.

"What?" Remus pulled his tie tighter round his neck.

"My bloody hair won't lie bloody flat."

"Oh come on Padfoot," moaned James, now standing on tiptoes in order to see his reflection over Sirius' head, "I mean, if your hair isn't flat, then mines floating a foot above my head." The hand which was pressing hard on the top of his head fell to his side in defeat, while James watched his hair spring back into the vertical.

Remus laughed out loud, only to be met with furious glares from the two upset teenagers. He swiftly turned the laugh into a cough, and then made his suggestion, "Why don't you use that jelly stuff your mum sent you?"

James' face lit up, "Yes! See Moony, this is why you're the brains of the outfit, while I'm simply the looks." A snort from Sirius, which James ignored. He was already kicking apart a pile of abandoned textbooks. "Where did we put it again?"

"I dunno," Remus casually picked up the blue tie from where it was lying halfway out of the window, "Last time I saw it you were using it to make people slip over. Peter, you're tie's here."

James plunged head-first into a trunk while Peter thankfully accepted his tie, and then looked over at Sirius. "Padfoot, what's _wrong_ with your hair?"

"Found it!" James' hand waved a small purple tub in the air. Everyone ignored him.

"Look!" Sirius jumped in front of Peter and inclined his head, revealing a single black hair standing straight up like an aerial, quivering in the light from the window. Peter stared for a second, before reaching out and plucking it from its root. Sirius gave a high-pitched scream of pain and leaped backward, staring at Peter as though he'd just been stabbed. "You pulled out my hair!"

"Only one." said Peter logically.

Sirius stuck his chin in the air, "If I go bald I'm blaming you."

"Oh shut up you slut." said Peter, dropping the hair so it drifted gently to the floor to lie on a forgotten sandwich that was growing green fluff. Peter grimaced and stepped away.

"Charming," snorted Sirius, "I'll have you know, I have one date for this dance thingamajig, and I intend to stay with her for the whole night. Of the dance."

"Really?" James looked up from smearing gel on his head, "A whole five hours?"

"Shut up."

There was a unanimous snort of laughter, and then a moments silence as Sirius grabbed a pair of shoes from the nightstand, checking the sole. "Size 10. Are they mine?"

"Erm… I guess so." Sirius nodded and began to pull them on.

"How do I look?"

They all turned to glance briefly at James, before doubling back to stare properly. There was so much gel on his thick black tufts of hair that they were stuck onto his scalp, taking on the shape of his skull and looking like a black, shiny helmet.

There was a stunned silence, before Peter spoke. "Like an idiot."

"An amazing idiot." agreed Remus.

"Like an idiot's more-idiotic friend." continued Sirius.

"The idiot's friend's idiot pet."

"You look," announced Sirius, "Like Snivellus."

James, affronted, turned to look in the mirror. "It's not _that_ bad."

"Sorry to tell you James, but yeah it is."

"But…"

"No."

"But…"

"For gods sake Prongs, just get your arse in the bathroom! We're gonna be late!" snapped Remus, glancing at his watch nervously. James pulled a face, but moved over to the bathroom.

* * *

The four marauders walked down the corridor in a long line, very aware that more than a few pairs of eyes were following them. All four of them had finally got dressed, and had found the correct shoes. James' robes were a dark red, almost maroon, while Sirius' shone a deep blue. Peter was dressed in a paler blue, and Remus was in brownish amber. James had thankfully decided that his hair looked okay in its usual insane state, and had abandoned the purple tub.

They reached the area just in front of the great hall, which had it's door flung wide open, revealing a small queue of couples and friends already beginning to form for the photographer.

Remus recognised Lily's friend from the dress shop, Emma, and bid goodbye to the others before disappearing into the crowd towards her. He was soon followed by Peter, who picked out Heather in a gold dress a bit further on. Then Sirius vanished, not without giving James a cheerful slap on the back, towards his date, a brunette girl called Jessica who was dressed in red.

Suddenly alone, James scanned the crowd curiously. He ignored a group of girls dressed entirely in lavender and pick and smiling coyly in his direction, and continued his search despite their flirtatious waves. Suddenly, with a leap in his stomach, he saw a scarlet head standing out by the door, and pushed his way through groups of people towards it.

He stopped a few feet to the right of Lily, blinking slightly. She looked great. Beautiful. He actually felt his eyebrows shoot up into his forehead and eyes widen as she talked and laughed with one of the prefects.

The dress was simple enough, with none of the flowery sparkles that loads of girls seemed to like so much. It skimmed neatly down to the floor, clutching in all the right places. The skirt and bodice were a deep forest green, and another layer of material, revealed through a slit, was a shimmering gold. The gold also peeked out around the square neckline. Lily's hair, which shone scarlet in the light, was scooped up and weaved delicately together on the back of her head, and her eyes were neatly outlined in black.

Lily noticed James watching her and turned to face him, her long arms clutched behind her back. She raised her eyebrows curiously. "Well?"

"Nyaguh," replied James. Lily's lips quirked upward and she twirled around, the dress skimming across the floor. James swallowed hard several times before he managed to find his voice, "You look beautiful."

Lily blushed furiously. "Thanks. You're not too bad yourself."

"Not too bad! Lily, I look like a _god_!"

"If you say so." Lily moved in to kiss him gently, "Hi."

"Hey." James smiled down at her. Her eyes seemed even brighter than usual, brought out by the green of the dress and the dark eye make-up. "So how's it going so far?"

Lily nodded happily, still smiling up into his face. "Good. That photographer's great."

"Yeah, he did our family photos last year." James looked down into her face, before leaning in to kiss her again. They stayed there for a minute, before Lily pulled back, laughing, "Come on. We've got to go in."

"Can't we just stay here?" whined James, "We could keep doing this." He ducked in again but she bobbed out of his embrace, turning and beginning to sashay away. "Liiily!" Came James' agonised cry, but she simply smirked and disappeared through the double doors to join the queue, forcing James to follow her in.

The photographs were to be taken in front of one of the huge, arching windows. You could see the grounds and part of the lake and forest through the glass and the long summer days meant sunlight was still streaming into the hall, lighting the couple from behind. The photographer himself was a tiny old man with an extremely bushy grey beard that got squashed into his face whenever he leaned into the camera, which was a few inches taller than himself.

"Aaah! Young master Potter!" he cried when he noticed James and Lily standing at the front of the line, "How are you doing young man? How _are _you doing?" He had a strong London accent and when he smiled revealed several missing teeth.

"Not too bad Mr Terence," smiled James, "and yourself?"

"Can't complain, can't complain." He winked at James before turning to Lily, "and who is this beautiful creature?"

"Oh, this is Lily Evans. Lily, this is John Terence."

"Pleased to meet you sir."

"Likewise sweetheart, likewise!" He nodded at her and motioned for them to move in front of the window, "Shall we get your photograph taken then?"

"Sure," and James led Lily in front of the window.

"Stand in front of her then James, stand in front!" barked the tiny old man, ducking under the purple material behind the camera, "and take her hands. That's it! Now look over here – no, move closer together! Perfect! Perfect! Okay…" there was a flash of light and a small explosion of thick acid-green smoke, and the photographer re-emerged, coughing slightly. "Excellent! Excellent! Now…" he scrawled Lily and James' name on a clipboard hovering next to him, before looking up again, "I'll send you both samples, and then you can request sizes and numbers, yes?"

"That's great."

"Fantastic! Fantastic! Well, if you two would just move along…"

"Hold it John!" Sirius was pushing his way through the madly protesting crowd, dragging Jessica behind him. She looked horrified and was apologising madly to the people she passed. Sirius came to the front and vaulted over the scarlet rope holding people back, "I want a group photo! Oops, sorry Jess." For he'd forgotten to let go of her hand and so had dragged her straight into the thick rope. He gallantly helped her to climb under it before clapping his hands round his mouth and bellowing, "Lupin! Pettigrew! Group photo! Get over here!"

"Mister Black, Mister Black!" announced Terence, smiling broadly at him, "I see you haven't calmed down since I last saw you! Haven't calmed down at all!"

"Well, you know me John," grinned Sirius. Behind him, Peter and Remus were clawing their way through the crowd, apologising once again to the people waiting in line. They stepped over the rope, opening it for their dates to step through, and then stood awkwardly next to Sirius.

"Right!" cried the photographer, booming with laughter for no obvious reason, "Chairs! I say, we need chairs!" And he brandished the wand he pulled from his inside pocket. Four delicate stools appeared with a pop and landed in front of the window, narrowly avoiding James and Lily, who recoiled slightly.

"Sit down then ladies, sit down!"

"Is that repeating thing he does really starting to annoy you?" muttered Lily to James as she took her seat, James just laughed quietly, "You get used to it."

"Right, gentleman, if you'll stand behind them." The four marauders took their positions, "No, no young man, put a hand on her shoulder! She's not repulsive is she? _Is she_?"

Peter laid a hand of Heathers shoulder; there was a moment's peace, and then the familiar flash and puff of smoke. When the photo came back it would reveal Sirius pointing a wand at Prongs and causing sparks to mould into the shape of antlers above his head, while James himself pulled a horrific expression. Remus would be laughing hysterically at Peter, who was looking terrified. All while the four girls smiled, blissfully unaware, towards the camera.

---------------------------------------------------

A couple of hours in, and Sirius, James and Lily stood next to the drinks table, chatting quietly and sipping from elegant glasses. Lily was explaining something called a television to Sirius, who looked thoroughly bemused, and James took the opportunity to have a look around the hall.

They'd decided that the theme for the evening should be 'Summer' and so the room was festooned with green drapery and flowers which appeared from all available nooks and crannies. The ceiling, which reflected a darkening sky which was nonetheless still a rich blue, was dotted with the occasional cloud, and the food had been specially chosen (by Lily) to match in with the decorations accordingly. The deserts were mostly covered with different kinds of berries, and the main courses were covered with golden sauce or multicoloured vegetables. All lay on the tables, and a few people were still sat around eating.

All in all, James decided with a rush of pride, it didn't look too bad.

"Don't you think James?"

"Erm…" James blinked at Lily for a second, "Huh?"

"James," said Sirius seriously, "You're being rude, again! You don't deserve someone like Evans. Lily, leave him. Run away with me."

"Okay," agreed Lily casually, watching the dancing couples and sipping from the drink in her hand. James turned to her, feigning heartbreak, while Sirius threw an arm round her shoulders and made a large sweeping gesture to the far wall.

"It'll be great. I'll take you to far off shores and buy you native animals as gifts."

"Great." Lily swallowed the last few drops from the bottom of her glass and placed it on a table behind her, "James, come dance with me."

"Sure," James put down his own drink and followed her onto the dance floor, where the usual stone floor had been transfigured into a rich mahogany panelling. A band in the corner, made up of a couple of violins, a flute and some kind of instrument that looked like a harmonica, played a gentle tune as couples gently danced around the room. James thanked his parents, for the first time ever, for making him learn to dance, as Lily looked surprised, "You actually know how to do this?"

"Sure," grinned James, gently twisting her under his arm.

Lily laughed happily, "I'd never have guessed."

James laughed back, and continued to lead her across the floor, until a moment later he collided with a solid back. Turning, he grinned at Remus and Emma and opened his mouth to talk. Before the words had left his lips however, they were interrupted by a whoop and a peal of laughter. Both couples turned to see Sirius literally galloping across the floor with Jessica, who was giggling uncontrollably. James raised his eyebrows and then turned to look enquiringly at Lily, lips pursed.

"No!" She hissed, "No! James! Don't you dare!" Though the last word turned into a scream as James began to gallop energetically along, bouncing off various couples and creating a pathway between the slowly rotating students. After a moment Remus took in on himself to join in, and soon almost the entire dance floor was full with people doing a strange side gallop to the music. The band were looking confused, but the flutist gave a snort of laughter into her instrument before starting to play a much faster jig that the others soon took up.

---------------------------------------------------

Peter strolled casually along the side of the dance floor, glancing over at the teachers occasionally before stopping just beside a table to drinks. He casually reached into his pocket and plucked out a small glass flask. Under the pretence of getting himself a drink, he emptied the liquid into the pumpkin juice. He then left the table clutching a glass of Gillywater and smiling in a self-satisfied kind of way…

On the other side of the hall, the other three were watching him carefully over their date's heads. All three faces cracked into identical evil grins as Wormtail flashed them a fleeting thumbs up before passing the Gillywater to Heather and joining her and her group of friends.

"What are you looking at?" Emma started to follow the three boys gaze curiously, but before she noticed Peter Remus had grabbed her elbow. "Nothing! Let's get you a drink huh?" and he led her away, glancing back over his shoulder at the remaining two marauders, who were still grinning madly. Lily and Jessica shared suspicious looks but didn't say anything.

James turned to Jessica, "So Jess, any idea what you'll be doing next year?" And as she started a very long and complicated response about teaching children abroad, allowed his gaze and attention to switch over to the far drinks table. He almost laughed when Emma attempted to get some Pumpkin juice and Remus grabbing her arm desperately in an attempt to stop her. Then he turned back to Jessica, hanging on Sirius' arm, "Really? That sounds great."

Lily nodded in agreement, and James caught Sirius eye. Sirius smirked at him and they both watched as a girl poured herself some juice.

-------

"But I've only had pumpkin juice all night!" yelled the girl loudly about half an hour later, before belching loudly. Lily stared from the girl to the glass clutched in her hand. She wheeled on the two friends angrily, who were shaking with silent laughter. In the distance, McGonagall was looking around curiously at the staggering pupils.

"Is it spiked?" hissed Lily.

"Well… kinda."

"James!"

"Not with alcohol! It's the potion that… well…"

"It's awesome!" crowed Sirius, "See, the people who drink it act like they're drunk, but they sound perfectly normal to themselves!" he gestured to Jake White, who was lurching drunkenly round the dance floor and singing very loudly while his girlfriend looked horrified. "All right Jake?" he yelled across.

"Yeah- Bu' everyone's bein' really weird! Dunnya fink?"

"Sure mate!" Sirius raised a goblet to him, and Jake promptly fell over and lay on the floor looking completely baffled. Sirius and James roared with laughter.

Lily stared at them, seemingly stuck between admiration and horror. Then she shook her head and wandered off, slightly dazed and whispering to herself.

---------------------------------------------------

Outside, the sky was a light blue with a slight hint of purple announcing the incoming night. Only a few clouds floated across the otherwise empty air, coloured a stark orange and red by the sunset, though many still nursing a threatening grey core.

Lily stood there, watching the sky and lake for a few minutes before a pair of long lean arms slipped round her waist. Lily felt a warm body behind her and smiled as James spoke in her ear. "Hey." He kissed her simply on the neck, "Sorry about the potion thing."

Lily sighed, "Its okay. I guess I couldn't expect you four _not_ to do anything."

James felt a fresh rush of relief and surprise. It wasn't like Lily to forgive him so readily, but he didn't want to peruse it – she might change her mind. "So what are you doing out here?"

"Nothing. Just getting some fresh air."

"Yeah," agreed James, "fresh air rocks."

Lily laughed and leaned back against him, feeling the strong, steady pound of his heart against hers. James' head came to rest gently against her temple, and his warm breath tickled her cheek as they watched the sun sink lower and turn a blood red, bathing them in it's orange light.

They stayed like that, enjoying each others comforting silence, until the sun disappeared and the cold, dark sheet of night covered them.

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**A/N:** Wow! I think this is the longest chapter I've written! Lol! Hope you guys all like it! And please check out my **new website**, which is my homepage on my profile – it has a sneak-peek at the next chapter! Anyway, please review! I love you all! xx 


	25. Whatever was waiting

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the Harry Potter books or movies. That's all J.K Rowling's and Warner Brothers'

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Once in a While

Chapter Twenty five – Whatever was waiting.

"Moony!"

Remus gave a strangled yelp as Sirius flung his arms around him, squeezing him so hard he thought his ribs would break. He looked down at his friend with a look of terror, and pushed him roughly, "Get off me!"

Sirius didn't seem to pay any attention to this statement, instead tightening his grip on Remus and lifting him off the floor in an excess of high-spirits. Remus continued to look angry and confused alternatively as Sirius carried him around the dorm, then dropped him on the floor.

"What just happened?" asked Remus weakly from his crumpled position on the carpet. Sirius grinned and bounced away.

"He's picking people up," informed James.

Then Peter stepped out of the bathroom.

"Wormtail!" cried out Sirius ecstatically, throwing himself at him most violently while the other two looked on with interest.

"As of this evening," announced Sirius grandly a minute later, letting go of Peter and allowing the others to finally start pulling on their robes, "we will be Hogwarts graduates. We will, my friends, be_ men_!"

"God help us." muttered Remus, and James laughed loudly, before pulling on his other sock, which didn't match his first, but no matter. He was filled with the same excited giddiness he could see shimmering in Sirius' eyes. He stood and clapped his best friend on the back, "I think my head's going to explode," he said gravely, and Sirius nodded sincerely. "Me too, Prongs old pal, me too…"

* * *

Lily sat in the Great Hall, drooping into her cereal, which was going soggy in the milk. _'This is the last time I'll eat cereal here'_, she thought. And that alone was enough to form yet another lump in her throat. 

Lily had spent most of the night lying awake, dreading today and feeling her stomach squirm. She didn't want to leave Hogwarts. In fact, she was slightly worried that when it was time to go, she'd grab hold of a banister and refuse to let go. She'd got into bed last night thinking, _'This is the last time I'll sleep here'_. She'd put her school robes on and thought, _'This is the last time I'll wear these'_. And now she was feeling so low that even cereal could make her burst into tears.

At that moment, the marauders exploded through the doors to the Great Hall, linked in one long line and singing 'The boys are back in town' at the top of their lungs. A grave contrast to her own mood.

'_I hope this is the last time I see that'_, thought Lily.

Breakfast that morning was a riot of dungbombs, exploding letters and loud laughter and screams. Most of which was caused by the marauders. The ball last night had prevented them from planning any large pranks, and they had simply decided to cause as much havoc as possible in the few hours they had left at the school. All the time in extremely high spirits. The high point of the hour was definitely James and Sirius proposing to Professor Slughorn, for reasons unknown. The teacher actually choked on his piece of bacon, and Flitwick attempted to administer the Heimlich manoeuvre. As Sirius said, it was the kind of scene which could both give you nightmares, and yet one which you couldn't help but love.

They went for a big group walk round the grounds, and Sirius pushed Peter in the lake. Then he jumped in himself, yelling something about the Giant Squid and a betrayal of love. They'd all hugged a bemused Hagrid, and James had managed to stick a '_Feed me_' sign on the giant gamekeepers back before they walked back to the castle, and Peter was once again pushed into the lake.

Later on they met up with Lily and a group of her friends, all of which seemed quite weepy. Sirius was more than pleased to allow a few to sob on his shoulder, and James didn't seem too bothered by Lily hanging onto him for dear life. He attempted to cheer her up by reminding her what the inside of a certain closet looked like, but that didn't go down to well. In fact, she called him an insensitive prat and stormed off the girls toilets.

After this James had turned to Sirius, who had witnessed the whole situation with amusement, and shook his head. "Do you think this is turning into a slightly abusive relationship?"

Sirius laughed and threw an arm round James' shoulders, "I think she's cruel to you Prongs. But she is also, if I may say so, quite hot. So I am inclined to forgive her. That and the whole thing amuses me greatly."

"Thank you."

"That's quite alright."

Remus and Peter, who had been distracted by a suit of armour that hurled abuse at everyone who passed (except Sirius, strangely enough), appeared behind them. "What's going on?"

"Prongs has been rejected."

"Again?"

"As I said, thank you."

Suddenly, a huge figure loomed out of a classroom door at them, glaring down sternly. James gave a yelp and almost fell over Remus in a mad scramble to get away, while the others watched on with slight amusement. Even the darkened figure (who had turned out to be Professor McGonagall), seemed to have to fight to keep from smiling. After James had got control of himself, she shook her head at the four.

"You know," said McGonagall thoughtfully, "I think I'm going to miss you four more than is probably necessary."

"Aaaw! Minnie!" cried Sirius, and flung his arms round her. The teacher looked horrified as he was soon joined by James (who had apparently recovered immensely), then Peter and Remus. "I knew you loved us really!" announced Sirius happily over her shoulder and the four others nodded their agreement. When they let her go, she was slightly pink and her hat had fallen off. She coughed nervously. "Well... right. I'll see you all soon I shouldn't wonder."

"Yep!" agreed James happily, "See you soon Professor." And the four began to walk away, leaving McGonagall standing watching them go. Her first year class were gaping out of the open classroom door and she was just glaring at them, enjoying seeing the cower, when Sirius turned around and yelled over the heads of his fellow marauders.

"We love you Minnie!"

Minerva sighed and bowed her head as the twelve year-olds giggled nervously. No' one would ever be afraid of her now...

Pet names aside, the teachers were quite pleased with the way the marauders were acting towards them on this final day. There had been nothing but gratitude and good-natured jokes towards them since breakfast. The rush of affection this caused towards the controversial group was so great that a small group of adults accumulated in front of the Hogwarts doors to bid them goodbye.

Of course, Sirius milked this for all it was worth, performing a theatrical bow which went on for a good minute before James' hand appeared and yanked him into the carriage by the scruff of the neck. The teachers looked fondly on, thinking about how nice it was to see these four rebels putting their childishness to one side for the day in order to bid a proper farewell.

That was, until Sirius and James said goodbye to their much loved school by mooning out of the carriage window.

Remus swore he would never forget the sight of a group of smiling and waving teachers simultaneously freeze mid-wave and turn pure white, smiles apparently frozen on by horror. Or Sirius' hysterical laughter which lasted the whole ride back to the station.

* * *

The Hogwarts express approached platform 9¾, revealing to the waiting crowd Sirius and James both leaning out of the window with their eyes squeezed shut against the wind blowing in their faces. Through the slits of their eyelids, they recognised a figure standing on the platform and gave identical whoops, waving frantically. "Mrs Lupin!" 

Remus slid down in his seat, groaning, as his mother, a mousy haired muggle with gentle brown eyes, gave a chuckle and waved back at his two friends as they sped past. Lily and Emma both giggled as the train pulled to a stop at the station, when the two girls stood and began to pull their trunks down, absorbed in gossipy chatter. Sometime between giggling and gasping, Emma's trunk came free from its place with an unpredictable jerk, causing it to land on her trainer-clad foot. She yelped with pain and began to hop around on one leg, massaging her sore toe.

Lily watched her with amusement, before realising that something was wrong in the compartment. Then she realised that none of the boys had reacted in any way to Emma nearly breaking her foot. Instead, the air was suddenly thick with a miserable humidity. She looked around.

The four boys were still sitting in their seats, looking decidedly uncomfortable. It seemed that the hyperactivity which had lasted all day had finally worn down. They didn't move even when other students started piling past the compartment, a few peering curiously through the glass at them. The tension seemed to mount in the small space, no' one wanting to say what they were feeling. But as they all knew, a certain member of the group would never stay quiet long.

"I don't think," pondered Sirius, "that I really want to leave."

"No," agreed James, almost conversationally, "I agree."

"Let's just wait here."

Lily sighed, looking down at the four boys. They sat looking casually out of the window at the heaving platform, Sirius with his long legs resting between Peter and Remus opposite, who were both reclining gently back. James was the only one who gave away a hint of tension, chewing his bottom lip methodically.

Despite the peaceful exteriors, she could guess what was running through their heads right now; the same things she had been wondering last night when she lay awake in her four-poster, tears tracking slowly onto the pillow. Would things remain the same after school? How could they? How would they get along not seeing each other all day, every day? Would they drift apart? The very idea of the four boys being separated made her breath catch, so Merlin knew how they themselves were feeling...

Lily glanced at Emma, who was looking concernedly at the four marauders. "Guys," Lily said gently, "we've got to go."

None of them replied.

"Come on," she reached down gently and took James' hand, before reaching across the take Sirius'. Both of them looked at her with some level of surprise, as if they'd forgotten she was there. "Come on," she repeated. Opposite her, Emma took hold of Remus and Peter, urging them to their feet.

No' one said a word as they began to take their trunks down from the racks above their heads. Nor when they made their way off the train, though Lily noticed the boys were walking slightly closer together than normal…

James stepped onto the platform, his stomach churning uncomfortably. He'd told his parents that he and Sirius would apparate back home, so they weren't here to meet them. He regretted that now. He would have liked to see his mother's head of wild black hair emerging through the crowd, if only to reassure him some things hadn't changed – not that he'd tell anyone that.

"My parents are over there," said Lily quietly, gesturing into the crowd, "James, come say goodbye in a minute." James nodded and Lily smiled softly at him before turning to each marauder in turn and giving them a hug and kiss on the cheek. "Bye guys!" she said, her voice falsely chirpy, before giving James one last look and disappearing away into the groups of students filing away from the train. There was a heavy silence.

"So…" This was Peter speaking, scanning the crowd nervously, "I guess this is it."

"Yeah," agreed Remus quietly, "Wow."

For once, Sirius didn't speak.

"You're all coming over." announced James, "Right? I mean," he looked nervously at the other three boys, "you will, won't you?" It seemed suddenly very important that they came to his house, sat in his room, ate his mother's food and laughed over memories of the last year. Together. James didn't know why, but he was sure that if they didn't come today, the first day, then they wouldn't at all. They'd all drift off in different directions, and this seven year bond would be broken.

"Erm…" Remus glanced over to where they'd seen his mother, "I should really go back and see mum and dad…" he saw James' frantic look, and understood, "but I'll come over this evening, yeah?"

"Great. Pete?"

"Um… okay, sure. I'll be over this evening too."

James felt a rush of relief, as if an invisible rope had been untied from round his chest. A lob-sided grin grew on his face and he nodded, grabbing the handle of his trunk and beginning to pull it away from the train. They reached an area free of people, and he and Sirius dumped their trunks unceremoniously on the floor. Remus and Peter both veered off to see their parents, and the two companionably leaned back against the dirty wall. They watched the crowd seethe around them, students mixing with parents, owls hooting as cats hissed at them angrily, younger brothers and sisters darting between the forest of legs…

James stiffened as he noticed a certain family standing across the way from them. A tall, cold-looking man with thick black hair and a woman with similar features, both looking down their noses at the surrounding sea of people, as if worried someone would touch them. Sirius' parents.

Obviously they were meeting his brother off the train. Sirius never spoke of his family, not since that time two years ago when he's arrived at James' door, shivering and holding back tears. He wouldn't even nod at his brother if they passed in the hallway. James had taken his lead and it had grown so bad James didn't think he'd recognise Regulus even if he tried.

James glanced across at Sirius, praying he hadn't noticed them. But even if he did, Sirius gave no indication of it, except maybe a flicker in his dark grey eyes, but that may have just been the light.

"Okay," Remus was suddenly at their side, minus his trunk, "Mum's taking stuff to the car, so I'm walking out with you guys. Wormtail's just coming."

"Right," muttered James, his neck craned as he watched Lily hug her mother and father in turn. She seemed to sense his probing stare, because she turned and saw him, gesturing him over.

James' eyebrows shot up and he made a choking noise before shaking his head manically. Lily pouted and Sirius, who'd been watching the whole exchange, gave a bark of laughter. "Meet the parents Jamie!" he sang, and gave his best friend a sharp shove into the crowd. James shot him a furious glare, which was met with a thumbs up, but had no choice but to move towards Lily and her family.

"James!" His girlfriend took his hand and dragged him through the crowd, "Mum, Dad, this is James. James, these are my parents."

"Erm… nice to meet you." stammered James, slightly stunned, and shook both their hands in turn. When he took Mrs Evans' hand, he had a mad urge to start dancing with her, but decided that probably wouldn't be the best idea.

"So you're the young man who Lily can't stop talking about," smiled the woman, releasing James' hand with no idea how close she'd come to doing an Irish jig. James smiled and nodded, "I suppose so." He was very pleased that all the sentences he'd spoken so far seemed to make sense.

Mrs Evans nodded, "Well, it's very nice to meet you at last James. Isn't it Michael?" and she looked reproachfully at her husband, who'd been staring at James in a stony kind of way. "Oh! Erm…" he took in his wife's meaningful glare, "yes dear."

James now knew where Lily had got her bossy streak.

He wondered how he was supposed to leave. Ideally, he'd have liked to kiss Lily senseless, but he didn't fancy the idea of being thrown under a train by Mr Evans. Lily solved the solution by kissing his on the cheek, hugging him close and whispering in his ear, "Owl me okay?" James smiled and promised to, and Lily smiled, blew a kiss and began to walk away.

She was quite a distance away when James' mouth took on a life of its own. "Lily!"

She turned and yelled back across the platform, "What?"

James licked his lips nervously before running forward to catch up with her. Her mother took her fathers elbow and led him away, leaving them alone on the platform. He wanted to tell her something. Something he'd meant to tell her yesterday but had been forgotten in all the drunken excitement. Stomach churning, he leaned in to whisper gently in her ear.

"I love you."

He pulled back, and Lily stared at him, eyes wide. "What?"

"I love you." James realised then that, unlike the other times he'd said it to her, he was sure this time. He loved her. He loved her so much it actually hurt to think about it. He looked into her now familiar face and smiled, dropping his guard and allowing her to see exactly what he was feeling reflected back to her in his eyes. Lily stared up at him for another long moment before allowing a smile to grow over her face. It came slowly at first, but then exploded out like a flag unfurling. James thought it was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.

"Really?" she asked, and James nodded madly, his own lips quirking upward. Lily grabbed the back of his neck in an uncharacteristically violent gesture and pulled him to her, kissing him hard. James could still feel her smile still in place as she pulled away, her face centimetres from his. "I love you."

"Yeah?"

Lily nodded this time, and then both of them were grinning madly, foreheads pressed together and lost in their own little world as the crowds of Hogwarts students and their parents swarmed round them in a complicated dance.

"Oi! Loverboy! Come _on_!"

The two extracted themselves from the others grip and turned to see Sirius standing on a trolley and peering over the crowd while the other two held it steady, gesturing for James to get a move on. James rolled his eyes, "Sorry."

"Don't worry," Lily replied, her eyes shining. James kissed her briefly, "I'll owl you tomorrow."

"Okay. Bye."

"Bye." Another kiss, this one lingering for a second or two longer. When they pulled away Lily laughed gently, before looking up into his face. "Seriously. Bye."

"Bye!" James leaned in once again, but froze when he heard his name called.

"_James! You're going to see her in about a day! Get your bony arse over here_!" bellowed Sirius across the sea of heads, accompanied by the others cries of agreement. James kissed Lily one last time, held her close for a second, and bounded back to his friends. They gave a sarcastic cheer and began to pull him over towards the barrier. James turned one last time to wave back at Lily, who waved back before being swallowed up by the heaving crowd. Then he grabbed the trolley pushed at him by Sirius, which was piled high with his belongings and fell into step next to him. Together, arguing merrily, they walked through the solid brick wall, away from the chaotic hustle and bustle of the platform and towards whatever was waiting on the other side.

**The End.**

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**A/N:** I need to say a huge, overwhelming thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed this story; especially those of you who have been here from the start. I honestly don't know what I'd have done without you all! Thanks sooo much! Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed reading this as much as I've loved writing it, and I really hope some of you will look at my next fic, which will be pretty much following on from this. Thanks again – you've all been incredible! xxxxx

**P.S.** Please review! ;)


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